Is Pelé the greatest of all time? Did Diego Maradona’s accomplishments surpass the Brazilian’s? Are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same conversation? All of these questions are hard to answer because most soccer fans alive today never watched Pelé play in his prime. That could change with this upcoming Netflix documentary, and the official Pelé trailer was released on Thursday.
Soccer has had plenty of TV and movie adaptations in recent years. Filmmakers have produced everything from historic fiction (The English Game), thrilling documentaries (Diego Maradona, Sunderland ’Til I Die and Amazon’s All Or Nothing series) and even heartfelt comedies (Ted Lasso).
Almost 365 days later and we’re still in quarantine — oh, the look on your face if I could’ve told you this last March. But don’t fear, good TV is still here! The best soccer movies and TV shows promised in 2021 are compiled below. We’ll update this list when we hear of more.
Sonsational
David Beckham has closed a $20 million deal with Netflix for his new documentary. The former England captain will be the subject of a documentary, co-produced by his production company, Studio 99. The documentary will take viewers inside Beckham's rise to fame as a soccer player and international icon.
Haven’t gotten enough of José Mourinho over the past 20 years or through All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur? Well he’s forcing his way onto your TV screen again through the medium of a new Netflix documentary titled The Playbook, which releases globally on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Growing up in the shadow of big brother Dominik, who starred in ice hockey from an early age, footballer Martin Hasek travelled a bumpier road to sporting success but one that nevertheless took him to the Champions League and Czech Republic side.
His journey is the subject of a documentary "Hasan: The Coach" premiering on Thursday, which spans his youth competing at home with the future Olympic and Stanley Cup champion goaltender to coaching his two sons in the Czech top-flight.
There’s not a lot of information to go off apart from this Netflix tweet that features Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Joy Fawcett, Kristine Lilly, Briana Scurry, Carla Overbeck and Brandi Chastain, but a film that covers the USWNT’s journey to the 1999 Women’s World Cup is coming to Netflix.
Over the course of the last four years, Sadio Mané has become world-renowned while shining for Liverpool. He’s now a two-time PFA Team of the Year selection, a Premier League Golden Boot recipient, the 2019 African Footballer of the Year and a UEFA Champions League winner.
If you ask Lionel Messi who the best player on the planet was last year, he’ll tell you it was Mané.
With a noticeable downturn in matches available for consumption through our TV sets, we now need to turn to Netflix to get our footy fix. Thankfully, Netflix is an absolute monster when it comes to providing us with a bit of everything, and the beautiful game is no exception.