You Like Chelsea. That's Reason Enough to Judge.
Goal!: The Dream Begins
Santiago Munez is a hard working illegal immigrant who dreams of playing soccer for a real team. He's really good and catches the eye of a former English talent scout who gets him a trial at Newcastle. Santi's father is non-supportive. So non-supportive that he uses Santi's saved up money for plane tickets to buy a new truck for his gardening business. But Santi has a kickass abuelita who uses her life savings to get him a ticket to England.
Mind melding with a football
Santi gets his trial, but he's so unused to playing in mud the completely botches it, causing his likable, Obi-Wanish mentor to have to go to bat for him to get another chance. Santi dazzles on the reserve list, but after being found out that he has asthma, he very nearly gets himself kicked off the team. He makes the best of his model good looks and woos a pretty nurse (played by Anna Friel pre-cult following). He befriends the team playboy who's going through a goal drought and nearly gets kicked off the team again when Gavin gets him in trouble.
Seriously, how many times does one get to be "nearly kicked off the team"
Santi's world is shattered though when his father dies having never made up with his son. He nearly goes home and gives up except he decides that his chance to be a real player will never come again and he's allowed to start in the big game against Liverpool. Of course he makes the winning goal in true sports movie fashion in the final seconds of the game and gets the girl to boot. He also finds out that his father secretly watched one of his games when he was a reserve.
After the third close call of getting benched, Santi knew his looks would keep him starting no matter what
I had the most fun watching for footballer cameos. Zidane Zizou, Raul, and David Beckham all show up. Somehow the movie got Liverpool and Chelsea to actually play for the game scenes. I managed to catch Joe Cole during the Chelsea game and Stevie Gerrard was very prominent in the final.
Fun football movie. Cliched as crap.
Santiago Munez is a hard working illegal immigrant who dreams of playing soccer for a real team. He's really good and catches the eye of a former English talent scout who gets him a trial at Newcastle. Santi's father is non-supportive. So non-supportive that he uses Santi's saved up money for plane tickets to buy a new truck for his gardening business. But Santi has a kickass abuelita who uses her life savings to get him a ticket to England.
Mind melding with a football
Santi gets his trial, but he's so unused to playing in mud the completely botches it, causing his likable, Obi-Wanish mentor to have to go to bat for him to get another chance. Santi dazzles on the reserve list, but after being found out that he has asthma, he very nearly gets himself kicked off the team. He makes the best of his model good looks and woos a pretty nurse (played by Anna Friel pre-cult following). He befriends the team playboy who's going through a goal drought and nearly gets kicked off the team again when Gavin gets him in trouble.
Seriously, how many times does one get to be "nearly kicked off the team"
Santi's world is shattered though when his father dies having never made up with his son. He nearly goes home and gives up except he decides that his chance to be a real player will never come again and he's allowed to start in the big game against Liverpool. Of course he makes the winning goal in true sports movie fashion in the final seconds of the game and gets the girl to boot. He also finds out that his father secretly watched one of his games when he was a reserve.
After the third close call of getting benched, Santi knew his looks would keep him starting no matter what
I had the most fun watching for footballer cameos. Zidane Zizou, Raul, and David Beckham all show up. Somehow the movie got Liverpool and Chelsea to actually play for the game scenes. I managed to catch Joe Cole during the Chelsea game and Stevie Gerrard was very prominent in the final.
Fun football movie. Cliched as crap.