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The plot of most sports movies is centered around a team or a player who is not good enough to make it to the top at a certain point in their career. And then, they eventually turn it around with hard work and determination on the way to attaining their goals.So if any script writer is looking for ideas or inspiration for a storyline, they should look no further than these 10 stories in European football. Stories about players or teams who overcame various obstacles to succeed.
#1 The African who conquered Europe: Didier Drogba
The Chelsea legend relocated from Ivory Coast to France at a very young age to live with his uncle who was a professional footballer. A young Drogba had trouble adjusting to new surroundings and he only played football part time and didn’t attend any football academy like most players today.
When he joined Ligue 2 club Le Mans, he struggled to cope with the strict practice regimens and suffered various injuries because his body was not used to training every day. In the end, Drogba would make his professional debut only at the age of 21.
With a lot of hard work and effort, he finally moved up in the football world and eventually played for French giants Olympique de Marseille. A terrific season for Marseille gave him a move to Chelsea and that is where the whole world would come to know about the Ivorian.
There were several questions raised about paying a huge fee for a 26-year-old, who didn’t do anything to warrant such a hefty fee. To this Jose Mourinho replied: “Judge him when he leaves the club.”
Drogba earned praise for his knack to perform in high profile games and cup finals. But he was sent off in the final of the 2008 Champions League and this forced John Terry to take the decisive penalty kick, which if Drogba was on the pitch, was his to take. Terry missed and Drogba’s absence somehow cost them the title.
He made up for his mistake four years later by inspiring Chelsea to come back against Napoli in the first knockout round and following this up with goals in the semi-final and final against Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively. He also took the fifth and decisive penalty kick in 2012 final and won Chelsea their first Champions League title.
In addition to his on-field performances, Drogba played a huge role in ending the civil war and bringing peace to his nation. Such was the charisma he possessed.
#2 Football! Bloody Hell: Manchester United\'s Champions League triumph in 1999
Sir Alex Ferguson transformed Manchester United into a supreme power in English football after taking over the club reins in 1986. United were winning league titles for fun since the start of the Premier League era and in 1998/99, they won the Premier League and the FA Cup.
At this point United were already through to the final of the Champions League after beating Juventus in the semi-final in a dramatic game. And a win over Bayern Munich in the final would give them a rare treble.
For the final, United were without first choice central midfielders Roy Keane and Paul Scholes as both were serving a suspension and this forced Ferguson to readjust his team. The Red Devils got off to a bad start after conceding in the sixth minute of the game. The Bavarians came close to doubling their lead on several occasions only to be denied by Peter Schmeichel, who was playing his last game for the club.
Ferguson soon subbed in Ole Solskjær and Teddy Sheringham. The game reached injury time at the end of the second half and United were still trailing by one goal. With very little time left on the clock, they won a corner for which goalkeeper Schmeichel also went up, but it was partially cleared by the Bayern defence. But it fell to Giggs who sent a low shot to Sheringham and his scuffed shot somehow went past Oliver Kahn in goal.
United won another corner immediately after the game restarted and David Beckham stepped up to take it again. Beckham found Sheringham, who nodded it to Solskjær, who in turn put the ball in the back of the net.
There were just seconds left to play at this point and United completed an epic comeback to win the game.
#3 The Prince of Barcelona: Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina to parents Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory steel worker and Celia Maria Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner. He started playing football at the age of five for a local club coached by his father.
In 1995, he moved to Newell’s Old Boys and was part of the youth team that lost just one game in four years. But at the age of 11, he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency. Argentine club River Plate were interested in signing Messi but they were unwilling to pay for his treatment which cost $900 a month.
Messi had relatives in Catalonia and, through them, his talents were made known to Barcelona’s sporting director Carles Rexach. Messi was given a chance to arrange a trial for Rexach and after seeing the little boy perform, Rexach was impressed and offered Messi a contract written on a napkin.
Barcelona asked young Messi to move to Spain and he duly obliged. He joined the club’s youth academy in 2000 and after just over four years after joining Barcelona, Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona against Espanyol.
Today, years after Messi made his debut for Barcelona as a teenager, he owns numerous footballing records to his name. Messi has achieved so much in his career that writing them down here won’t be enough.
The achievements of one of the greatest footballers of our generation deserve to be documented on reel for future generations to see and admire in awe.
#4 In search of love: Luis Suarez
The highlight of Luis Suarez’s childhood was his poverty. His mother scrubbed floors and his father abandoned them. Suarez, who was entering his teenage years, started skipping practice, drinking and staying out late and his coach had to often drag him from his home for practice.
Then at the age of 15, he met a girl. Her name was Sofia Balbi. Her family lived a comfortable life while Suarez worked as a street sweeper and during his shift he would pick up coins to take her out.
Sofia’s family took Luis into their home. She made Suarez work harder; she made him realise that his laziness was the reason why he was struggling. In her family, Suarez finally found something he had never felt before: a sense of belonging.
In 2003, Sofia’s family moved to Spain. This left Suarez heartbroken; he lost his family, he lost Sofia and he lost his determination to play. At this point, no one would believe that this boy would take the football world by storm later on.
She lived in Europe and he lived in South America, he could clean streets for the rest of his life and not afford a plane ticket and never see her again. This prompted him to work hard on his football so that one day he would be good enough to play for a club in Europe.
In 2006, a small first division club from Netherlands gave him a chance and from there he moved to Ajax, then to Liverpool and now to Barcelona. In 2009, he married the girl who gave him everything when was nothing. Suarez became a great player because of Sofia and today she is the mother of his two kids.
How great would such a love story look on the silver screen?
#5 Miracle of Istanbul: Liverpools Champions League triumph in 2005
Liverpool came into the 2004/05 season having lost their star striker Michael Owen to Real Madrid and having appointed a new manager in Rafael Benitez.
The Reds didn’t have an easy road to the final of the Champions League that season. On the day of the final group stage game against Olympiakos, the Reds needed to win by a margin of two goals or more to progress to the knockout stage.
Liverpool went behind in the first half and then struggled to take the lead in the game but, eventually, they took a 2-1 lead in the 81st minute. However, they still needed another goal to qualify. With just minutes left on the clock, Steven Gerrard scored a spectacular goal to seal the deal.
Liverpool played AC Milan in the final and the Milan team that played the game was one of the best teams Europe has seen. Their starting eleven consisted of the following players: Dida, Cafu, Nesta, Stam, Maldini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Kaka, Shevchenko and Crespo.
In comparison to this team of legends, Liverpool looked a very weak side. The gulf in quality was visible on the pitch and Milan took a comfortable 3-0 lead in the first half. At this point, it looked certain that the game was beyond Liverpool’s reach.
In the second half, a period of six crazy minutes saw one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game. Liverpool scored thrice in that period through Steven Gerrard, Vladamir Smicer and Xabi Alonso. After they drew level, the Reds kept out wave after wave of Milan attacks while fighting with injuries and fatigue.
The game eventually went to penalties and the heroics of Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek won Liverpool their fifth Champions League title.
#6 The Yellow Wall: The re-emergence of Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund were Champions League winners in 1997, but in 2004, they were under severe financial crisis and remained in the Bundesliga with the financial aid of Bayern Munich. Dortmund were not able to match the level they produced earlier and languished as a mid-table club.
But in 2008, they appointed Jurgen Klopp as their manager. Klopp took over a club that finished a disappointing 13th in the previous season and in his first season, Klopp guided Dortmund to a Super Cup win over Bayern Munich. The club finished in a respectable sixth place in his first season and fifth position in the next season.
In 2010/11, Klopp led Dortmund to the Bundesliga title and accumulated 81 points – the highest points tally in the history of the Bundesliga at that time. They also set the record for the longest unbeaten run. In 2011/12, they completed their first domestic double.
Dortmund’s league campaign in the following season was not very impressive and they lost both the titles they were defending, but the German club did exceptionally well in the Champions League that season. They were grouped with Spanish champions Real Madrid, English champions Manchester City and Dutch champions Ajax, but still topped the group without losing a single game. They defeated Real Madrid again in the semi-final before setting up a date with Bayern in the final.
The club gained immense worldwide acclaim and fan following for the way the club rose up without injecting money heavily into the club. And many neutrals around the world wanted to see them win the Champions League to complete the fairy tale.
Sadly Dortmund lost the game after Arjen Robben scored the winner in the 89th minute of the game. But Dortmund were labelled as the people’s champions.
#7 Final whistle: Manchester Citys maiden Premier League triumph
After Manchester City was taken over by the Etihad group, they had emerged as serious Premier League title contenders. In the 2011/12 season, the Citizens were on a roll when the season began. They even made a joke of their cross-town rivals Manchester United in their own backyard with a resounding 6-1 win at Old Trafford.
During the first half of the season, one major talking point was the clash between star striker Carlos Tevez and manager Roberto Mancini. Tevez refused to warm up after Mancini called him up from the bench during a game against Bayern Munich and, as a result, he was dropped from the squad. City dropped several points in the second half of the season and their rivals Manchester United had slowly climbed above them.
City were playing United at home in a crucial title deciding game and the home side were three points behind United at this point. A win would have put them ahead on goal difference. Captain Vincent Kompany scored the only goal in the Manchester Derby and set up a mouthwatering race to the finish.
On the last matchday, City were playing QPR at home and the Red Devils were playing Sunderland away. QPR were fighting a relegation battle and were in danger of getting relegated if they lost and the other results didn’t go their way.
The final game produced one of the most dramatic and nail-biting finishes in the history of the game. City were trailing 2-1 going into injury time and United had won their game. At this point, the title was heading to Old Trafford. But two goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero in the dying minutes of the game gave City the title on goal difference.
#8 La Decima: Real Madrids 10th Champions League title
Real Madrid have been the undisputed leaders when it comes to the number of European titles. The Madrid side have always been a very tough side to beat and lifted their ninth European honour in 2002. But after this win, Real Madrid struggled to perform in Europe and were often beaten in domestic competitions by a very strong Barcelona side under Pep Guardiola.
Real exited the Champions League in the semi-final stage for three successive years under Jose Mourinho and after their third exit, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas were pictured in an emotional scene.
Prior to the start of the 2013/14 season, Real Madrid parted ways with Jose Mourinho and appointed Carlo Ancelotti as their new manager. Under the Italian, they got off to a very good start in all competitions and looked set to reclaim the league title and push for the inevitable 10th Champions League title.
Real progressed through the group stages and got past three different German clubs in the knockout stages to progress to the final, of which one team were the defending champions Bayern Munich.
In the final, Atletico took the lead in the first half and Real were struggling to break down their defence. Cristiano Ronaldo was injured before the final and this hampered his contributions on the pitch, despite playing the full game. In the dying minutes of injury time, Real won a corner and Sergio Ramos connected with Modric’s cross to score and take the game into extra time.
Atletico, who pressed aggressively throughout normal time, were tired when the game went to extra time and, in the end, Real Madrid won the game 4-1 with goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star had also scored a record breaking 17 goals in the Champions League that season.
#9 The Sultan of Step Over: Cristiano Ronaldo
Today, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the finest football players in the world. But his mother Dolores Aveiro revealed that she almost aborted him. He was born in an impoverished neighbourhood of Funchal and was the youngest child of Dolores, a cook, and Jose Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.
Ronaldo lived his life in poverty and shared a single room with his mother and two sisters. He was even expelled from school for throwing a chair at a teacher who disrespected him, and he was on the verge of being forced to go and work to support his family. But his mother intervened and made him concentrate on football.
Ronaldo was signed as an eight-year-old boy by local club Andorinha, where his father was the kit-man. He then joined local club Nacional. In 1997, Nacional owed Sporting €22,500. They didn't have the money, so Rui Alves offered Ronaldo if Sporting forgot the debt.
Sporting were not keen on the deal, paying that much for a 12-year-old, so Nacional convinced a Sporting representative living in Madeira, Marques Freitas, to take him to the mainland and give Ronaldo a trial.
After joining Sporting, Ronaldo caught the eye of Manchester United when the club from England were playing Sporting during the inauguration of the Estadio Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon. Ronaldo impressed Manchester United players so much that they urged their manager Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him.
The rest is history.
#10 The Odin of football: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Odin is a hero from Scandinavian mythology and Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently called himself ‘God’. There is no better name befitting the Swedish striker. Ibrahimovic is one of the most iconic footballers in the modern game. The flamboyant striker is known for his out of the world goals and egoistic character, and his past explains his rough and tough attitude.
The Swede was born to a Croat mother and an alcoholic Bosnian father. He was brought up in a place which, in his own words, is a ‘ghetto’ in Malmo, a place in Rosengard. Things were difficult for him at a very young age as his parents broke up when he was just two years old.
Ibrahimovic confessed that he was a frequent thief during his childhood days in the ghetto he was from. But it was the same ghetto that taught him the game he loved. He also revealed that he had never seen a man in a collar until he joined secondary school. Such was the difficult conditions in which he was raised.
Even though he was a regular at Malmo, he nearly quit football to work at the docks when he was 15. But his manager convinced him to pursue a career in football. Ibrahimovic joined Ajax at the age of 20 and it is here that he met his best friend – Maxwell. When Ibrahimovic joined Ajax, he didn’t have money or friends and it was Maxwell who helped him out during a very difficult time of his career.
Maxwell and Ibrahimovic would play together again at Barcelona and even at Paris Saint-Germain. But the striker, now at Manchester United, has had a decorated career and still scores goals for fun in his mid-30s.
Ibrahimovic once said, “Who would’ve thought the guy from Rosengard would become the captain of Sweden?”
