5 great football movies: 'Escape to Victory', 'Damned United', more

Published Jun 30 2012, 13:43 BST  |  By Simon Reynolds

Spain and Italy clash tomorrow for the final of the Euro 2012 football tournament. The beautiful game can provide breathtaking unscripted entertainment, and Hollywood has long tried to replicate that edge-of-your-seat drama on the big screen. From the stiff upper lip Brit spirit of Escape to Victory to the blistering excitement of Shaolin Soccer, there are plenty of footballing film gems worth seeking out.

Digital Spy takes a look at five great football movies to help get the likes of Mario Balotelli and Cesc Fabregas in the mood for Sunday's big game.

Escape to Victory (1981)
Riffing heavily on The Great Escape, this war movie saw Michael Caine lead a team of Allied prisoners of war out against a German side for a propaganda match. The cast featured a lean and mean Sylvester Stallone as the POWs' goalkeeper and an assorted bunch of football stars of the time including Pele, Bobby Moore, Ossie Ardiles and a sizeable chunk of the Ipswich Town squad. Stallone allegedly wanted his character to score the winning goal, but was talked out of it due to the unlikely nature of a goalkeeper putting one in the onion bag.



Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Stephen Chow wrote, directed and starred in this gravity-defying Hong Kong comedy about a monk who pulls together a team that blends kung fu and soccer. Like a manic, caffeine-injected live-action cartoon, it's a hugely entertaining movie with a spectacular tournament final showdown between Team Shaolin and Team Evil. Intriguingly, when the film was released in Italy the main characters were dubbed by Serie A stars such as Damiano Tommasi, Marco Delvecchio, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Angelo Peruzzi.



Once in a Lifetime (2006)
A documentary that focused on the implosion of the New York Cosmos and the North American Soccer League, this is essential viewing for any football fan. Spearheaded by Time Warner CEO Steve Ross, millions were pumped into the league and ageing superstars such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer joined the Cosmos for one last payday. Despite the marquee names, the sport nose-dived in the TV ratings and Cosmos folded in 1985. Narrated by Matt Dillon and featuring interviews with many of the key players, this is a riveting story about football's struggle to crack the US.



Looking for Eric (2009)
Ken Loach's touching comedy sees fanatical Manchester United fan Eric come face-to-face with his idol Eric Cantona after hitting rock bottom. Cantona brilliantly sends himself up, delivering killer one-liners ("I am not a man... I am Cantona") and philosophical musings to his new pal. Looking for Eric replays some of Cantona's great moments for the Red Devils and expertly highlights football's ability to bring people together for a singular cause.



The Damned United (2009)
The greatest manager England never had, Brian Clough worked minor miracles by turning provincial clubs Derby County and Nottingham Forest into world beaters. Sandwiched between those glory years, however, was a disastrous spell in charge of Leeds United. Clough's (Michael Sheen on top form) brash methods and dislike for Leeds's aggressive style of play meant he quickly made enemies in the dressing room and found himself sacked after 44 days. A pre-King's Speech Tom Hooper oversees the film, which is based on David Peace's blistering novel about Clough's obsessive nature.



Do you think Fever Pitch, Bend it Like Beckham, Zidane or Gregory's Girl should have been on this list? Let us know below!