Anthology matches, legendary players, fan stories… Between two Euro matches or to end the evening on a high note, Europe 1 recommends seven films and series, documentaries or fiction, each of which tells their own story of the vast football world.

If the daily Euro matches still leave you hungry for more, you've come to the right place.

Between two meetings or for a post-match worthy of its name, here are some ideas for films and series that will immerse you alongside the biggest teams and the best players in the world.

Relive the Danish coup de théâtre at Euro 1992, discover the setbacks of Sunderland, pay tribute to the immense Maradona or regain morale thanks to Eric Cantona… Europe 1 recommends seven fictions and documentaries to prolong the pleasure of competition. 

Looking for Eric

Eric Bishop, postman in Manchester, is going through a rough patch.

His two sons-in-law, whom he has taken care of since their mother left, live on petty trafficking and make life impossible for him.

To make matters worse, he still dreams of a woman he left in his youth but never stopped loving.

Depression is waiting for him.

But one fine evening, Eric Cantona, his lifelong idol, appears.

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The myth of Manchester United arises to restore his self-confidence, like a sentimental and sporting ghostly coach.

Ken Loach recounts the return to life of a drifting fan in a mischievous film, a parenthesis of lightness in a filmography dominated by social dramas.

Directed at the initiative of Cantona, the film also brings to life some of its most beautiful goals thanks to beautiful archive images. 


> By Ken Loach (2009), to see on VOD on the platforms of Canal (2.99 euros) and Arte (3.99 euros).

Sunderland 'Til I Die

Adrenaline, great game, surprises and disappointments.

The

Sunderland

documentary series

' Til I Die

, almost as thrilling as a real game, begins with the relegation to Championship (equivalent of our Ligue 2) of the Sunderland team, after 10 years in the Premier League.

But instead of offering themselves the comeback they dream of, the Black Cats, at worst, keep losing their way. 

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The first season of this Netflix production recounts the plunge of this historic club in the working-class northeast of England into the third division, under the mournful gaze of its loyal supporters.

The second traces the efforts of the new boss to pull his team out of this football tragedy.

In 14 episodes, the series depicts a world of football torn between business and collective passion, filmed from the lawn, in the heart of the action.


> From Leo Pearlman and Benjamin Turner (2018), to see on Netflix.

Maradona, a golden kid

Almost everything has been written, said or filmed about Diego Armando Maradona, who died last year at the age of 60.

But if you have to choose among the countless works retracing the extraordinary life of the "Pibe de oro" (the golden kid), take a look at the formidable documentary by Jean-Christophe Rosé.

Produced in 2006 for the Arte channel, it marvelously recounts the fate of this crazy talented kid from the Buenos Aires slums, who, thanks to his left foot, has become the eternal idol of Argentina and the city of Naples.

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Nothing is obscured in this documentary, punctuated by the electro-tango music of the Gotan Project group: glory, wealth, scandals, drugs or even the dubious links with the Neapolitan mafia.

We end it with the desire to put on an Argentina or Naples jersey to sing songs to the glory of Diego Maradona. 


> Documentary by Jean-Christophe Rosé (2006), to watch on VOD on Arte TV (3.99 euros).

The miracle of Bern

Summer 1954. A few days before the launch of the World Cup, Matthias Lubanski, 11, awaits the return of his father, a prisoner in the USSR since the war. In his absence, he had found a substitute father in Helmut Rahn, star of the Essen football team and striker for the national team. With humor and tenderness,

The miracle of Bern

mixes the fate of a kid from the Ruhr area and the epic of the German team, on which no one bet a kopeck. And yet that year pulled off the first coronation in its history. 

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Beyond the competition, the round ball had an immense symbolic impact in the heavy post-war atmosphere.

For some, the victory of 1954 embodies nothing less than the political and identity renewal of West Germany.


> De Sönke Wortmann (2017), inspired by a true story, to see on Canal VOD (2.99 euros).

The penalty area

Since he said goodbye to his career dream, Franck has been living off small services rendered to a provincial club.

He reassures players when in doubt, finds them a new car or pet, occasionally provides an alibi for those who cannot tell their wives where they spent the night.

All in exchange for tickets in the presidential gallery and the feeling of belonging to the community he worships.

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One evening, while running after a player who has gone on a spree, he comes across Salomé, a young woman who collects adventures with footballers.

Both prefer to live in the shadow of the players rather than face their own.

Christophe Regin's first feature film brilliantly tells the world of football from the stands, without ever entering the field.

A sensitive and offbeat point of view, nicely interpreted.


> By Christophe Regin (2017), to see on Canal VOD (2.99 euros).

The Golden Ball

Bandian, 12, lives in Makono, a small village in the heart of the Guinean forest.

Passionate about football, he shoots every day with his friends in a makeshift ball.

Until the day when a humanitarian from Médecin Sans Frontières offered him the truth.

This film by Cheik Doukouré is inspired by the fate of Salif Keïta, unforgettable player from Saint-Etienne, the first golden ball of African origin in 1970.

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After leaving his native village, Bandian reaches Conakry, the capital, where he manages to join the local football school.

Told like a tale, the story follows the adventures of an anonymous young prodigy who became a star of the Greens by force of foot.


> By Cheik Doukouré (1993), inspired by a true story, to see on Canal VOD (2.99 euros).

Summer 1992

It is the story of the triumph of a small unpretentious team. In the summer of 1992, Denmark found itself selected for the Euro against all odds, drafted shortly before the start of the competition to replace a team from Yugoslavia excluded due to war and embargo. To everyone's surprise, the Danish footballers snatch victory after eliminating in turn France, the Netherlands and Germany, the tournament's big favorites. By adopting the perspective of Richard Møller Nielse, coach acclaimed since by the whole country, the film traces the epic of a team whose historic performance thwarted all forecasts. 

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> From Kasper Barfoed (2015), inspired by a true story, to see on Netflix.