Football is a sport popular among athletes and amateurs. Are you also into online betting Mozambique on international and local matches? Then you will definitely enjoy these 5 movies.
Mean Machine
Former England captain Danny Meehan could have become a national legend, but at some point, his dishonesty and penchant for match-fixing became public knowledge. Disqualified from the sport, he was left jobless and spiraled out of control, drinking heavily and driving under the influence. One such incident ended in a fight with the police and a sentence of three years in prison. Behind bars, the disgraced football star, who deliberately lost important matches, is met with scorn. Fortunately, football reenters his life: when Danny is offered the chance to coach the prison guards’ team, he decides instead to assemble a team of inmates.
Vinnie Jones, a professional footballer and the embodiment of an aggressive, uncompromising defender, plays against type in Mean Machine as a hesitant, self-doubting player. Barry Skolnick’s film is the perfect entry point into the fascinating world of football, clearly explaining the rules and showcasing the drama of the game. However, that’s secondary: Mean Machine is, above all, a hilariously funny and universally relatable comedy about redemption.
United
In 1956, Manchester United manager Matt Busby and his assistant Jimmy Murphy gave a chance to Bobby Charlton, a young player from the youth squad. He quickly integrated into the team, affectionately known as “Busby’s Babes.” Two years later, the team suffered a devastating tragedy: after a flight from Belgrade, their plane crashed in Munich, killing over 20 people. Charlton, who survived, and Murphy, who had not traveled to the match, were still reeling from the catastrophe when they were asked to assemble a new team to continue playing in the English championship. Otherwise, the football club risked being shut down.
The Munich air disaster and the Hillsborough stadium tragedy are the two major calamities in 20th-century English football. James Strong’s film is a human attempt to comprehend a story that, due to its age, isn’t well-documented. The result is a heartrending spectacle: a sobering reminder of life’s brevity and a tribute to lost talents. At the same time, United, aptly titled, shows how surviving players and fans rallied around their shared grief, preserving and enriching the legacy of a great club.
Bend It Like Beckham
Eighteen-year-old Jess loves playing football and idolizes Manchester United midfielder David Beckham. She has all the makings of a successful career — passion and talent, which allow her to outplay the boys who mock her on the pitch. However, obstacles stand in her way. Her traditional Indian family has already planned her life: a respectable husband and a career in law. Salvation comes in the form of Jules, who invites Jess to try out for a women’s football team.
Bend It Like Beckham is one of the most well-known football films, with a title that has become a popular sports idiom. Yet, despite its fame, not many people have actually seen it. Even fewer realize that it’s a feminist tale of escapism and the courage to reject the life society imposes. Incidentally, Beckham himself makes a small but memorable cameo in the film.
The Damned United
Striker Brian Clough transitioned into coaching after retiring as a player. In 1967, he took charge of Derby County, a mid-tier team in England’s second division, and within five years turned them into national champions. After leaving the club, Clough unexpectedly accepted an offer to manage Leeds United, a team he had often criticized for dirty play. The players were shocked by the appointment and refused to accept their new manager. Clough lasted only 44 days in the role, but this failure didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most successful English managers of the 20th century.
Biopics aren’t reserved solely for legendary players who defined the outcomes of important matches. Films are also made about figures unfamiliar to modern football fans. In this regard, Brian Clough is the perfect subject. The Damned United isn’t another inspiring story about someone who unites a team through trial and error to achieve victory. On the contrary, it’s a film about spectacular failure, envy, and an inability to connect with others. It’s a fascinating lesson in football history, a touching and inspiring drama about friendships that withstand success and money. It’s also a reminder that failures don’t erase past achievements or foreclose future possibilities. After Leeds, Clough didn’t give up — he found a new club and achieved the seemingly impossible there several times.
I Am Zlatan
Zlatan Ibrahimović grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood in Malmö, with parents who had fled Yugoslavia and paid little attention to raising their son. Zlatan spent his time on the football pitch, playing with older boys and displaying a fiery temperament. A decade later, his talent took him from Sweden to the Netherlands, where he joined Ajax, one of Europe’s premier academies for young talent. However, Zlatan struggled in his new environment: he felt lonely, homesick, and clashed with teammates. His ego and arrogance often got in the way.
Ibrahimović is a remarkable footballer who combines meme-worthy antics with incredible talent. A player who has won over 30 prestigious trophies, he’s unshakably confident, often referring to himself as a lion in interviews and inventing humorous ways to assert his superiority. That makes his story all the more surprising: a young player battling imposter syndrome and learning to coexist with a team. I Am Zlatan is a gift to Ibrahimović’s many fans, but it can charm other viewers as well. It’s an engaging watch for anyone looking to spend an evening with a charismatic athlete with a complex personality, and a reminder that even the greatest need to come down to earth occasionally.
