10 Best Soccer Movies Ever

7. Mike Bassett: England Manager

Weirdly, Mike Bassett: England Manager is the sort of film that could only possibly appeal to diehard fans of the beautiful game, but is written entirely in the manner of "this is what non-football fans think football is like". The result is a mess, but a brilliant, brilliant mess.

Ok so the stage is set; a dreadful England side have only just scraped through World Cup qualifying and find themselves heading to the tournament without a manager. None of the good candidates actually want the job, so the only man the FA can turn to is Mike Bassett, a no nonsense latter-day throwback to a time of simpler football and four four f****ng two.

There are a million winks and nods to the English game's biggest characters - Beckham, Gazza, Pearce, Seaman, all your faves - as well as some brilliant football in-jokes. Some of the gags haven't aged brilliantly in hindsight, but the core premise of just how ridiculous the international game is holds as strong as ever.