Ten Footballers I’d Like To See Biopics Of

So today is Oscar day, so like many other people, movies are on my mind. Last year we had a couple of unusally great little football films in Looking for Eric and The Damned United, the latter a biopic of Brian Clough which proved a fascinating insight into the man (albeit in a nicer way than the Damned United the book, which was a searing look at his time at Leeds, and is well worth a read).

To celebrate, I thought I’d bring you ten more players I’d like to see a good biopic of, and you can suggest a few more in the comments.

1. Johan Cruyff.
He’s had his tough-to-find documentary made about him – Un moment dado – but I think cruyff would be a fascinating subject for a biopic. From his skills on the field, to his plain speaking philosophies of the field. An actor could really get into what motivated his numerous iconic moments, from tearing off the middle stripe of his 1974 World Cup shirt, to moving to Barcelona instead of Real Madrid, to not playing in the 1978 World Cup at all. That’s not even to mention his managerial years, and wonderful Dream Team, followed by his move not go near the Dutch National Team.

2. Zidane
The best footballer of his generation is also one of the most enigmatic. He already has a film about him, A 21st Century Portrait, which a camera follows him around a pitch (untill he characteristically gets himself sent off), but a real biopic could try and get under the skin of the man. It could all climax at the end of the 2006 World Cup as well.

3. Eric Cantona
Again, there were biopic elements in Looking for Eric, but not nearly enough to get inside of the head of one of the most interesting players of any time. Plus, as an actor now Eric could play himself, and win an Oscar, citing the fan he kicked at Crystal Palace in his thank yous. It’d make a change from God and that.

4. Paul Gascoigne
The clown prince of English football for so long, Gazza fascinated the press like pretty much no other public figure of his time. From his wonderful performances in Italia 90 (and the iconic tears that followed) to heading out to Serie A, unhappy, an increasing dependence on alcohol and a hell of a rocky marriage, Gazza’s biopic would undoubtedly be a sad one. But its a hell of a story.

5. Roberto Baggio
The Divine Ponytail often let his football on the pitch do the talking, but he has written his autobiography A Gate in the Sky, which could provide the source material. He’s so iconic, the ponytail, the Buddihism, the scoring at three different World Cups, the riots after he left for world record amounts of money, the refusing to take a penalty against Fiorentina. It’d be a more thoughtful, interesting biopic.

6. Ronaldo
The real, Brazilian one I’m thinking about here. From being the best player in the world to Whatever-the-hell-happened in the 1998 World Cup Final Dressing Room, to coming back good in 2002, to a career of injuries and struggling to live up to the reputation he made himself. But it could end on a more positive note, with his move back to Brazil, which appears to have been a happy one.

7. David Beckham
From being a talented kid who took an audacious strike from the half-way line against Wimbledon, to marrying the then-none-more-famous Victoria Adams, to breaking into the England team at France 98 due to public demand, to becoming pantomime villain after stupidily getting himself sent off, to redemption as he fired England to the 2002 World Cup with an inspirational performance, to Madrid its all top top stuff. And lets be honest – his on-off relationship with LA Galaxy could make a film by itself.

8. Diego Maradona
There is again a documentary – Maradona by Kusturica – but imagine if they could get someone to get into the head of Maradona. Constantly walking the line between hero and villian, he’s frankly, a lot more interesting than Pelé. Depending on how this World Cup pans out, his managerial career could easily make movie material.

9. 1934 World Cup
Not a footballer, but Benito Mussolini, who like in current Nelson Mandela biopic Invictus, knew the power of a big sporting event as propaganda – especially if your team won. Which of course, Italy did. It’s worth including on this list because it genuinely would make a good film I think. What inspires men of power to risk it all on that most unpredictable of things? Hitler got burned at the Olympics a couple of years later, and Stalin mistrusted football because of how much the Working Class loved it.

10. Jules Rimet
The original World Cup was named after him and still Wikipedia only knows a couple of sentences. Someone sort it out.

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Category: World Football