Ranking the Best Football Shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime

Like an annoying uncle overstaying his welcome at Christmas, coronavirus is here and doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

With bars and restaurants closing and social isolation strongly advised, now's the perfect time to tuck into a box set and fuel your football addiction from the sofa.

Fortunately, Amazon Prime and Netflix have an array of shows that can keep you cheerful and fill the football void. Let's rank the pick of the bunch.


El Corazon de Sergio Ramos

Amazon Prime's exclusive series on Sergio Ramos has shades of the Bros documentary, meaning it can make for quite cringe, uncomfortable watching at times.

If you think Ramos is everything that is wrong with football, then this documentary is unlikely to change your mind.

But it does feature him playing the guitar and has a whole episode entitled 'music'. If you didn't think Ramos is the Spanish David Brent, then this documentary is likely to change your mind.


Trainer!

Netflix's Trainer! follows three German football coaches at Bundesliga 2 outfits FC St. Pauli and SC Paderborn 07, and third tier side FC Heidenheim during the 2012/13 season, as the trio attempt to make it in the world of football coaching.


It offers an insight into the German coaching philosophy, and how this has led to success within the national team.


Pre-​Liverpool Jurgen Klopp also features in an extended interview, detailing his coaching practices.


First Team: Juventus

This Netflix series follows Juventus through the 2017/18 season, with incredible access to some of the side's biggest names, including Gianluigi Buffon and Gonzalo Higuain.

The documentary is all about the glitz and glamour of football at the very top; the pressures of ​Juventus' crunch Champions League ties with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Tottenham, to table-topping Serie A clashes with Inter and Napoli.


With two series made up of three 40 minute episodes, it's incredibly binge-able.


Six Dreams

The Amazon Prime series is for football hipsters, as you go behind the scenes of life for two up and coming players, a club president, a sporting director, a veteran and a coach in ​La Liga, giving a unique insight into the struggles of life at the top for a variety of football figures.

​Atletico Madrid, Real Betis, Eibar and Seville all feature across six episodes.

It's all in Spanish, so either flick on the subtitles or use your time in social isolation to learn a new language and put it to good use here.​


Take Us Home, Leeds United

This Amazon Prime series documents the fascinated debut season of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, as the club came within a whisker of a return to the top flight during the 2018/19 campaign.

It documents the notorious 'spy gate' controversy, offers an exclusive insight into the mind of Bielsa, shows off the players' personalities with lengthy interviews, gives a flavour of the life of a Leeds fan and is narrated by Russel Crowe, making it a great watch for any Leeds United supporter.

It's also a great watch for anyone who hates Leeds, as the team combust at the end of the season and then capitulate in the playoff semi final second leg against Derby.


This Is Football

Proper tear jerking stuff this one. From Liverpool supporting genocide survivors in Rwanda, to the magic of Lionel Messi. From Japan's remarkable triumph at the 2011 Women's World Cup to the journey of Icelandic football.

The Amazon Prime series documents an array of incredible stories that show just why the beautiful game was branded as such. 

Through interviews with the great and good of world football and live footage, the documentary will stir all kinds of emotions inside you and make you yearn for the return of football.


All or Nothing, Manchester City 

Amazon Prime gain exclusive access behind the scenes at ​Manchester City for one of the greatest seasons in the club's history, as they follow Pep Guardiola's side during their record breaking 2017/18 campaign.

The series offers a glimpse behind the curtain of the day-to-day goings on at an elite football club, a unique insight into Pep Guardiola's relentless methods, and an if anything, too thorough look into Benjamin Mendy's journey back from injury. 

It is very Mendy heavy. 

With lengthy interviews with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and of course, Benjamin Mendy, you get to see a bit more of the personalities that make up Pep Guardiola's winning machine.


Sunderland Til I Die

The Manchester City documentary is great, but the trouble with Pep Guardiola's City in their (Amazon) prime is that they were just too flawless.

What you really want from a football documentary is a little bit of tragedy, and Netflix's Sunderland Til I Die has tragedy in bucket loads.

It tracks the during the 2017/18 season, with the aim being the Black Cats would bounce straight back to the Premier League after their relegation the following campaign, making for a nice celebratory documentary. 

Things don't quite go to plan.

What ensues is one of the most turbulent season's in the club's history, and viewers have a front seat, access all areas view as the chaos unfolds. Series two is also on the way.



Source : 90min