Goal! The Dream Begins

The movie was released in 2005, directed by Danny Cannon. The plot is based on a young man that was a gardener in the US and becomes a soccer player at Newcastle United Football Club. The film approaches many topics and not only soccer.

On this article, I will focus on two topics that brought my attention to this movie.

The first topic is illegal immigration into the US. The film starts with a scene, which Santiago as a child gets to the USA illegally, crossing the border with his family. As the movie goes on, it's possible to notice some critics as to how immigrants are treated in society, as they are limited to work on low-level handworks, such as pool cleaning and gardening. Moreover, one of the strongest scenes of the movie is when Santiago's dad told him that their place in the world was to serve the richer, and they are not allowed to dream on big achievements.

A second interesting topic was the routine to become a footballer. As presented in the movie, most professional clubs have a division called Football Academy, a place where teens are build to become a player. However, as shown while Santiago fights his way to be part of Newcastle's team, he has to deal with excessive competition and to see a friend giving up on his dream because of a knee injury. This is the longest part of the film, and it made a good picture of how the beginning of a soccer carrier can be harsh.

In conclusion, "Goal!" is not a standard soccer movie as it presents a real idea of the insides of a football club, and also make some simple critics on the situation of illegal immigrants in the US.

M.S.S.R.A