Best Football Documentaries

Tagline: The story of the man who redefined a position.
For Fans of: Diego Maradona, Pelé, The Last Dance, The Figo Affair, Rooney
WYALAN Rating: 5/5

This film is a deep dive into the extraordinary life and career of Ronaldo Nazário, widely considered one of the greatest strikers in football history. The documentary chronicles his rise to fame, his devastating injuries, and his triumphant return to the top of the sport. Through archival footage and interviews with football legends, the film explores the genius and resilience of “The Phenomenon” who changed the game forever.

It’ll make you happy and sad several times over as one of the greatest strikers in modern history recounts the pressure of a nation on his shoulders whilst dealing with the media headlines. There’s also interviews with legends like Roberto Carlos, Romario and Christian Vieri.

If you’re not old enough to remember Ronaldo, just think Haaland, but better.

Tagline: The man, the myth, the legend.
For Fans of: Pelé, The Last Dance, Ronaldo: The Phenomenon, I Believe in Miracles, Beckham
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5

From the award-winning director Asif Kapadia (known for Amy and Senna), this documentary tells the story of the football icon both on and off the field. Using never-before-seen footage from Maradona’s personal archive, the film explores his time in Naples, where he led a struggling team to victory while grappling with his own personal demons and addictions. It’s a fascinating look at the rise and fall of a true sporting legend.

If you’ve ever wondered why Napoli named the stadium after the Argentinian, the documentary will show you why.

It’ll also reveal how he had to adapt his game for Serie A, went from being called God to the devil, his feelings on that goal against England in the world cup and how his cocaine habit started.

Tagline: A club in crisis, a city with hope.
For Fans of: All or Nothing, Welcome to Wrexham, The Class of ’92, Anelka: Misunderstood, Sunderland ‘Til I Die
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5

This docu-series captures the raw emotion and drama of one of England’s most passionate football clubs. Following Sunderland A.F.C. through a tumultuous season in the Championship, the show offers an unfiltered look at the club’s struggles, the devoted fans, and the city’s unwavering love for their team. It’s an honest and compelling look at the real-life struggles of a football club.

I won’t spoil the endings of two thrilling seasons, but they are surprisingly tense.

Tagline: The man who made Manchester.
For Fans of: The Last Dance, All or Nothing, Welcome to Wrexham, The Special 1, The Class of ’92
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5

This powerful documentary is a tribute to one of the greatest football managers of all time. Told in Sir Alex Ferguson’s own words and through interviews with his family and former players, the film details his journey from a young boy in Glasgow to his legendary career at Manchester United. It’s an inspiring look at the life and career of a man who never gave up.

One of the most successful managers in the modern game tells his story from playing as a striker for Glasgow Rangers to managing Aberdeen and Manchester United.

Never Give In is an apt title. At every stage of his career, Sir Alex had had to battle his way to the top. If you’re only familiar with his time at United, you’ll be in awe at his beginnings in Scotland.

Tagline: Inside the locker room, outside the game. For Fans of: Sunderland ‘Til I Die, The Last Dance, Captains, Welcome to Wrexham, The Special 1
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5

This acclaimed docu-series goes behind the scenes of some of the world’s biggest football clubs, giving fans an unprecedented look at a full season. With exclusive access to the locker room, training ground, and boardroom, the show follows the team through every high and low. It’s a thrilling, unfiltered look at the lives of elite athletes and the drama of professional football.

Get an inside look at how legendary managers (and Mikel Arteta and Eddie How) Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola manage big games and even bigger egos at Spurs and Man City (and Arsenal and Newcastle). If only Sir Alex Ferguson has been part of the series…

If I had to rank each series it would be: Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City and Newcastle.

Tagline: The men who lead from the front.
For Fans of: All or Nothing, The Last Dance, Rooney, Beckham, Welcome to Wrexham
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5

This docu-series follows eight national team captains as they lead their countries through a grueling World Cup qualification campaign. The show offers an intimate look at the pressure, the passion, and the sacrifices of a captain, from the locker room to the field. It’s an inspiring and emotional look at what it takes to lead your country to glory.

Do captains really influence a team? A lot more than I thought they did. Captains is a brilliant look into six international captains on their journey to qualifying for the World Cup 2022.

Watch Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Luka Modric (Croatia), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon), Brian Kaltack (Vanuatu) and Andre Blake (Jamaica) on and off the pitch and how they got to where they are today.

FIFA have blocked me embedding the trailer so you’ll have to watch on YouTube.

Tagline: A fight for the heart and soul of football.
For Fans of: All or Nothing, Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League, FIFA Uncovered, The Figo Affair, The Last Dance
WYALAN Rating: 4/5

This film tells the dramatic and unbelievable inside story of the European Super League, a seismic attempt by 12 of Europe’s most powerful clubs to break away and form a new competition. Told through the eyes of those who helped bring it tumbling down, the documentary shows how a brazen power grab collapsed in just 48 hours, igniting a fury of opposition from the entire football world.

We all know football is driven by huge sums of money and power.

Super Greed specifically looks at the failed attempt to create a Super League, who were the major instigators and how it all ended.

Tagline: The story of how football changed forever. For Fans of: Sunderland ‘Til I Die, All or Nothing, The Class of ’92, I Believe in Miracles, The Two Escobars
WYALAN Rating: 4/5

This series charts the explosive creation of the Premier League, one of the most significant moments in modern football. From the hooliganism of the 80s to the monumental Sky Sports deal, the documentary explores how a small group of clubs broke away to create a global sporting and entertainment behemoth. It’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand how the Premier League became the powerful entity it is today.

For some, the Premier League has always been around. But its creation in 1992 was controversial.

Fever Pitch covers the first decade and how the Premier League became the biggest in world football. There are detailed accounts of the league contenders during these formative years, interviews with the best players and what went on behind the scenes.

Tagline: The most expensive team in the world.
For Fans of: Beckham, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, The Figo Affair, The Class of ’92, Ronaldo: The Phenomenon
WYALAN Rating: 3.5/5

This docu-series chronicles the epic rise and spectacular fall of Real Madrid’s “Galácticos” era. With a roster of superstar players like Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo, and Figo, the club’s president set out to create the most glamorous and powerful team in the world. The series uses never-before-seen footage to reveal the inside story of a team that was as famous for its drama off the pitch as for its talent on it.

Despite having the likes of Raul, Ronaldo, Zidane, Roberto Carlos and Iker Casillas on the team sheet, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Real Madrid. Egos, changing the old guard, integrating new big name signings and a revolving door of managers took its toll on performances on the field.

The player interviews don’t hold back into who was responsible for the turmoil either…

Tagline: A game of power and corruption.
For Fans of: The Two Escobars, Icarus, The Figo Affair, All or Nothing, Moneyball
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5

This documentary series lifts the lid on the widespread corruption and power struggles within FIFA. Through exclusive interviews and rare archival footage, the show traces the organization’s evolution from a non-profit to a multi-billion dollar enterprise, revealing the backroom dealings, bribes, and shady alliances that have tarnished the sport. It’s an eye-opening and deeply unsettling look at the dark side of the world’s most popular game.

More football corruption involving huge sums of money again (sigh), this time it’s centred around how World Cup host countries are selected. It’s eye opening how high the corruption goes and the sums of money FIFA representatives received.

The 2022 World Cup was one of the most dramatic in it’s history and Captains of the World is a great recap of the tournament. It’s made by the same creators of Drive to Survive (which is also worth watching) so the editing makes it exciting to relive. There’s interviews with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Didier Deschamps and footage from the French dressing room.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buy a small Welsh club, struggling to get promoted. Can money guarantee promotion?

Welcome to Wrexham also highlights what football clubs mean to towns, community and fans across the UK while Ryan and Rob bring their trademark humour.

What happens when a player goes to their rival club? There are several layers to this documentary centring around Figo’s controversial move from Real Madrid.

It’s also just a great reminder as to how great Figo was.

The incredible story of how Brian Clough molded a Second Division Nottingham Forest into European Cup winners after a failed stint as Leeds manager (I can recommend the film ‘The Damned United’ for more information on this).

The interviews with former players are hilarious, they clearly had a dressing room full of banter and hijinks. There are also a ton of stories and quotes about the legendary Brian Clough.

The rise of Wimbledon from the old fourth division to the first division. Whilst kicking and elbowing everything that moved.

Former players such as Vinnie Jones, John Fashanu and Dave Beasant reveal all the ‘tactics’ they used to strike fear into their opponents. And that was before they got onto the pitch. Some of the stories are insane.

A two part series about a genius on the pitch, but largely focused on the media’s part in his mental downfall off the pitch.

The fame, media attention and awful tabloid stories are told by the people who knew him the best. It’s a really sad story of what could have been and also how the media really haven’t changed in 30 years.

Why would anyone want to go in goal? The Special 1 talks to former goalkeepers like Shay Given, Neville Southall and David James about how they became a goalkeeper, what you need psychologically to cope with being the last line in defence and how you deal with mistakes.

They also talk about multiple hand injuries. You get to see Rob Greens gross pinky.

See what life is like in the National League as the Neville Brothers, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs take control of Salford City.

Beckham remains the footballer most harassed by the media, due to his life off the pitch. It’s quite frightening how much abuse he suffered from the media on a daily basis and makes you realise what a strong personality he has to come through all he did. The documentary also reveals how controversial each transfer after Man Utd was.

Anelka: Misunderstood is worth watching, but I wouldn’t watch it again. He burst in the scene as a teenager, but his slow demise after every transfer to a new club is slightly sad. I didn’t come away from the documentary thinking he was misunderstood either.

Anelka: Misunderstood is worth watching, but I wouldn’t watch it again. He burst in the scene as a teenager, but his slow demise after every transfer to a new club is slightly sad. I didn’t come away from the documentary thinking he was misunderstood either.

This should have been better, given the career he had, but it reveals very little. The documentary does give a good summary of his time at Man Utd however.

Once ranked lower than Haiti – 117th in the world, Wales finally qualified for their first World Cup in 64 years. It wasn’t an overnight success by current manager Robert Page by any means.

Together Stronger begins with John Toshack taking over the managerial job in 2004 and looking to the future, with Bryan Flynn. With many of the old Welsh guard retiring from international football, Toshack began to lower the average squad age from 26-27 to 22-23 by bringing in the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale at a young age, and anyone who had a Welsh grandparent.

There’s no trailer for Together Stronger unfortunately.

Follow the day in a life of a football agent as they try to negotiate moves for their clients. If you’ve ever wondered what football agents actually do, this will explain all.

Deadline Day follows the journey of several players in various stages of their career, including moves to Ajax, PSG and Man United. Are they ready for that big club move yet? And what stalls negotiations?

Tired of football corruption yet? This time it comes from player agents and an unlikely source who exposes.

Probably most famous for his outrageous scorpion kick, he also led an interesting life off the pitch that most people probably didn’t know about. If you though Ederson was a sweeper keeper, you need to watch Higuita.

I didn’t watch to the end, it was a little slow. But if you’re an Arsenal fan you’ll definitely want to watch this.