The Damned United and the Top 10 Soccer Films of All Time

There are not many films being made on football of late, but the last one that I happened to watch was Damned United, and I absolutely loved the film! In this article, I've listed the top 10 films I think were the best in the business. 

Also, I have not watched many foreign films on football, for instance I would really love to see a film based on Real Madrid or Barcelona or for that matter any German soccer clubs, so if there's one or two out there I do not know about, I'd really appreciate if you point them out for me. 

Some of the films I've mentioned in this article have also been rated as the 'worst' football movies in themirror.co.uk, so yeah, patience is a virtue!  

Thank you for reading. 

10. Mean Machine

Mean Machine features an underdog team of prisoners in England who face an intense soccer match against the guards. Filled with humor and soccer action, this is one mean movie!

Not much soccer in this movie, but the action is intense. The display of passion for football makes this movie an interesting choice. 

9. Kicking and Screaming

Will Ferrell plays soccer coach Phil Watson who takes a hilarious journey to find the balance between the heart of the game and the thrill of victory.

Robert Duvall and Mike Ditka make guest appearances, which add to the appeal of this soccer family must-see movie.

Even though the soccer aspect of this movie isn’t great, the movie is a good comedy to watch.

8. Fever Pitch

Fever Pitch illustrates that one person’s passion is another person’s frustration.

When Paul Ashworth’s passion for football conflicts with his relationship with new love, Sarah, he finds himself in quite a predicament.

This a great movie for soccer lovers who also like romantic comedies.

7. The Football Factory

Another hooligan film, but The Football Factory is a more personal look into how Anglo-Saxon males fed up with being told they're not good enough use their fists as a drug, which they describe as being more potent than sex and drugs put together.

6. Looking for Eric

If you've never heard of him, Eric Cantona was a tempestuous French soccer player who mixed moments of stunning grace on the football field with incidents of madness. Not much of a bad actor, either! 

The Manchester settings, the ordinary streets and homes, the post office, the cafes...the contrast with the thug’s mansion...the British atmosphere...lovely film! 

5. Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait

A documentary in the truest form, it has absolutely no plot and is a celebration of something in its simplest state.

Shot in real-time during a league game between Real Madrid and Villareal in 2005, we get the full spectrum of Zidane’s game. 

A movie for the fans! 

4. Green Street Hooligans

As much a part of English football as the players themselves, football hooligans have made the news for decades now.

This is a look at why young English men join these groups and how passionate they are to support their clubs.

The movie is based on a simple premise: Soccer teams play on the pitch, their fans beat the living hell out of each other off it.

In the world of the soccer fan, it doesn't matter how good your team is. What matters is whether you are ready to put your life on the line, match after match, for the glory of being the toughest ‘firm' in the country.

3. Offside (Iranian Film)

An Iranian movie about female soccer fans!

Six fearless females try to defy the country's all-male rule and sneak into Iran's crucial 2006 World Cup qualification match against Bahrain (The movie was filmed at the game in question). 

Offside won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival—Berlin being, ironically, the city that played host to the 2006 World Cup final.

2. The Damned United

A 2009 drama based on David Peace’s best-selling book, we get a riveting interpretation of Brian Clough’s tenure at Leeds United. .

The Damned United, based on David Peace's best selling book, tells the story of Brian Clough, the best manager the English national team never had.

Clough's widow has criticized this movie saying that many of the events in the movie never happened. She had the same opinion of the book as well.

There are a few inaccuracies but nothing that can't be called creative liberty.

One of the best movies I've watched in a long time! 

1. Escape to Victory

Pele, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Paul van Himst, John Wark, Russell Osman and other stars of the 1970s all played actual soccer players in the movie. Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone brought Hollywood glamour.

The story is straightforward: Allied Prisoners of War play soccer against a German team. The film is inspired by the true story of Dynamo Kiev's players, who were captured by the Germans during the war.

They played a series of matches against German teams before being sent to prison camps. Most of the players died.

In the film, however, they escape, as the crowd storms the pitch after the match ends in a draw.