Goal! (film)

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Goal!

Goal! film poster
Directed by Danny Cannon
Produced by Mike Jefferies
Matt Barrelle
Mark Huffam
Written by Mike Jefferies
Adrian Butchart
Dick Clement
Ian La Frenais
Starring Kuno Becker
Alessandro Nivola
Marcel Iures
Stephen Dillane
Distributed by Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s) September 30, 2005 UK
Running time 118 min.
Language English
Followed by Goal! 2: Living the Dream...
IMDb profile

Goal! (also known as Goal! The Dream Begins! in the United States) is a 2005 film directed by Danny Cannon.

This is the first installment of a trilogy named Goal!. This film was made with full cooperation from FIFA, which is one of the reasons actual teams are used throughout the movie. The second installment, Goal! 2: Living the Dream..., was released in February 2007. The third and final installment, Goal! 3, is currently being filmed and follows the lead character, Santiago, as he participates in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The movie starts with a clip showing Santiago Munez playign football as a child in Mexico. The same night, his family illegally enter into the United States to find a better living. Santi grows up in USA and works with his father as a gardener. At night he works as a cook in a Chinese restaurant. He also plays football for a small local team called AJFC. He goes to play a match one day after his work with his father, where he is forced to use a pair of cardboard pieces as shin guards as he cannot afford any. He saves his money and hides it in his shoes every night to purchase a football kit.

The next day, while playing football, he is noticed by Glen Foy, an ex-Newcastle player and scout, who asks him to come to England for a tryout with Newcastle United. He returns home to find that his father has stolen his money hidden in the shoes and used it to purchase a new van. His father laughs at him when he says he was asked by a scout to play in England. Glen tells Santi that on the next match day, he will call an agent who was in US to set up a meeting with the Newcastle manager. the agent, Barry, does not turn up and lies that he is in a meeting. Later, Glen himself calls the Newcastle boss and arranges for a meeting. Santi's father though does not allow him to go to England. His grandmother sells off part of her jewelery and buys a ticket for Santi to travel to England without the father knowing about this.

On arrival in England, Glen warmly welcomes Santi to his house and arranges for a trial. Santi compaletely messes up his first trial and is rejected by the manager. Glen then manages to convince the manager that Santi was nervous and requested for a months trial. Santi succesfully passes the medical test (Roz is the nurse checking him). At the same time, Newcastle sign Gavin Harris. After a month, in a reserve game, another jealous team mate crushes Santi's inhaler (Santi has asthma which he hides from the club officials). His performance is very poor in the match as he is not able to run. he is then removed from the club.

On his way to the airport, Santi meets Harris, who forces the cab driver to pick him up and drop him at training as hi car tyres have been stolen. Harris remenbers seeing Santi in the club and finds out what happened in the reserve game. Harris convinces the manger to extend Santi's stay at the club. After treatment at the club, Santi is able to play more confidently and agressively. He finally makes it into the first team. He starts as a substitute against a match against Fulham as many of the first team players were injured. He gets his chance when a player is injured and manages to win a penealty for Newcastle which ultimately won them the match(His father watches the match on TV in USA and is very proud of his son). The manager keeps telling Santi that his weakness was that he does not pass the ball. Santi is then transferred back to the reserves. Santi thinking he wont be able to stay long at the club goes to St. James' Park to fell how it is to play on the pitch. the manager tells him to get off the pitch and that he could get the feeling when he played in Newcastle's final game against Liverpool. In the training session before the match, Santi's father dies of heart attack. Santi is completely demoralized and heartbroken though his father always criticized him. He decides to stay and play for the team in the final match rather than go back.

In the match against Liverpool, Newcastle take the lead first thanks to a goal from Harris. After half time, Liverpool make a comeback with two goals, one from Gerrard and one from Milan Baros. In the dying minutes before injury time, Santi assists Harris in scoring the equalizer by finally passing the ball to him and correcting his major drawback in football. In the dying minutes of the injury time, Harris is tripped. Harris decides to make Santi take the final free kick. Santi scores with a beautiful freekick swinging away from the Liverpool goalkeeper. Glen runs down the stands and gives his mobile saying that Santi's grandmother had called. She is very happy and proud and congratulates her grandson. She also adds that his father had come to watch his first match. The movie ends with Santi shedding tears of joy that he had achieved what he wanted and that his father finally forgave him before dying.

[edit] Cast listing

[edit] Cameo appearances

The film was notable for the large number of cameo appearances, most of them by football players playing themselves:

Others with a connection to football made brief appearances:

[edit] Release dates

[edit] References

[edit] External links