So you’ve seen them strut their stuff on the football pitch, but who are the top 5 footballers who have made appearances on the big screen? Let’s take a look. Lights, camera, action!
5) Eric Cantona
“King” Cantona had wowed the Premier League and the rest of the world too. The end of his glittering career was capped off by the performances he put in for Manchester United. After his abrupt call that he was going to retire, it was widely expected from the Manchester United fans that Cantona would move on to managing, with him being the favourite to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
There would only be disappointment on that front for the Manchester United fans, though. Cantona announced that he would never return to United, even in a managerial capacity, as long as the Glazers were the owners of United. However, Cantona pursued another field after his retirement; namely acting!
Cantona has acted in at least 18 movies since his retirement, even making a cameo appearance in a stage play. Surprisingly, Cantona has managed to score just as well on the silver screen as he did on the pitch.
The highlight of his acting foray was the highly-acclaimed 1998 biographical movie Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and starring Cate Blanchette as Queen Elizabeth I of England. Cantona essayed the role of Monsieur de Foix in the movie.
His other notable role was that of himself in the 2009 movie Looking For Eric. The movie was very well received by critics and scored 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
4) George Best
“Georgie” Best was as notorious for his exploits off the pitch as he was for the magic he weaved on it. Blessed with sublime talent and a prodigious appetite for the celebrity life, it is perhaps no surprise that the Irish wing-wizard, credited with being among one of the first superstars of football, graced the sets of the film line.
While playing for Manchester United, Best made an appearance as himself in the 1971 movie Percy. The movie is a British comedy, with a surrealistic storyline, bordering on the absurd. The story of the movie itself is such that it cannot be expressed on the site, and it may be a surprise to many that the legendary player deigned to act in it.
Best, though, was famous for doing the unexpected and living life on his own terms. So in keeping with his character, it is pretty poetically just that he did act in it.
3) Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is considered by many to be one of, if not the best midfielders to have played in the past 20 years. “Zizou” wowed millions of football fans worldwide in a career that stretched 17 years and almost 800 games for both club and country. The Frenchman of Algerian descent would go on to play for great sides such as Juventus and Real Madrid in his illustrious career.
Zidane acted in 2005 mega-flop Goal, while still playing for Madrid. The movie, though panned by the critics, was very well received at the box-office, and remains a firm fans’ favourite. He then went on to make an appearance in 2008 French movie Asterix at the Olympic Games, alongside NBA star Tony Parker.
Though this movie too was given the thumbs down by the critics, it went on to be a smash-bang hit in France, grossing over $130 million at the French box-office. Zidane also featured in the 2006 documentary film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.
The movie follows Zidane through one game entirely, using 17 cameras trained at the mega-star from various angles. The match in question is the La Liga encounter between Real Madrid and Villarreal that took place on 23 April 2005. It was the same match in which Zidane was sent off in the dying minutes of the match due to a brawl that broke out.
2) Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, is one of the most famous footballers alive and the man who is destined to be eternally pitted against Diego Maradona in the age-old battle for the title of the Greatest Footballer of all time.
Given that Pelé has officially scored 1152 goals in 1222 games for both club and country throughout the span of his career stretching 21 years, it is no great surprise that he is considered one of the best footballers to have ever graced a pitch. But it was more than just the statistics that made Pelé one of the true Gods of football – something that is true in every case, I guess.
Having played for Santos for most of his professional domestic career, Pelé retired from the beautiful game while at the New York Cosmos. He, thus, became the first true superstar to have played in the burgeoning American MLS.
Pelé’s acting debut came via the small screen when he featured in the 1969 TV Series Os Estranhos. His debut for the big screen came with O Barão Otelo no Barato dos Bilhões, in 1971.
Pelé would go on to act in 12 other movies, with the most famous being the 1981 blockbuster Escape To Victory alongside other football stars such as Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna, Paul Van Himst, Mike Summerbee, Hallvar Thoresen and Werner Roth. The movie was about Allied Prisoners of War held at a German prison camp during World War II.
The POWs find themselves at the heart of a German propaganda campaign when they are unwittingly enrolled in playing a match against a German team. The movie then follows their quest for freedom on learning of the German plan. Pelé has also featured in the 2004 documentary Pelé Eterno about his own glittering career.
1) David Beckham
Arguably one of the most famous footballers of all time, it will come as no surprise to anyone that the immensely marketable David Beckham finds himself top of this list. The London-born Beckham started his career with Manchester United, part of the infamous “Fergie’s Fledgelings”, then went on to play for giants such as Real Madrid and AC Milan, and ending his career at mega-rich PSG after having had a stint at MLS outfit LA Galaxy.
Famous for his crossing and set-piece taking ability, the deliveries from his lauded right-foot have made indelible marks on the modern rendition of football. One would expect that there is an absolute litany of movies involving the mega-star, given his marketability, good-looks, fashion-icon status and camera-friendly visage. However, Beckham has appeared in just four movies – one of them containing just archival footage of the footballer.
By Beckham’s own admission, he was “too stiff” for acting as a full-time vocation despite appearing in numerous commercials. Beckham made a brief appearance in the original 2005 hit Goal, alongside Zinedine Zidane. He then went on to essay a larger role in the following two sequels: Goal! 2: Living the Dream… released in 2007 and Goal! 3: Taking on the World in 2009.
The second movie sees the protagonist Santiago Munez move to Real Madrid where he has a lot of interaction with Beckham, among other Galacticos. Archival footage from Beckham was used in the 2002 movie Bend It Like Beckham. Both Beckham and pop star wife Victoria “Posh” Beckham expressed their desire in appearing in the movie, but scheduling conflicts ultimately scuppered their chance.
Honourable Mention: Vinnie Jones
Though not remotely as famous as any of the above-mentioned names, Vinnie Jones has made quite an acting career for himself after his modest playing career. He has played for Sheffield, Chelsea, Leeds, QPR and Wimbledon – where he was part of the famous 1988 “Crazy Gang”, who won the FA Cup beating then all-conquering Liverpool in a shock victory.
Jones made his acting bow in Guy Ritchie’s cult hit Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He then went on to act in famous movies such as Snatch, Swordfish, Gone in 60 Seconds, EuroTrip and X-Men: The Last Stand among others.
