As I settled into my couch last weekend, scrolling through Netflix's ever-expanding sports section, I realized we're truly living in a golden age of soccer documentaries. Having watched nearly every football-related documentary on the platform over the past three years, I've noticed how these films have evolved from simple match recaps to profound explorations of team dynamics and human resilience. What struck me particularly during my recent viewing marathon was how these documentaries echo the Filipino phrase from a team's journey: "Paunti-unting nababalik namin 'yung galaw namin as a team. Alam namin sa sarili namin na sa amin 'yung problema so kami din makakapag-bigay ng solusyon du'n." This translates to gradually rediscovering their rhythm as a unit, acknowledging that the solution must come from within - a theme that resonates powerfully across the best soccer documentaries available today.
Take "Sunderland 'Til I Die" for instance, which I consider among the top three football documentaries ever made. The series captures precisely that gradual process of a team rediscovering itself amid adversity. Having followed Sunderland's real-time struggles while filming this review, I can attest to how raw and authentic the emotions feel. The documentary shows us a club that lost 15 of their first 21 matches in the 2017-2018 season, yet the players and staff continuously worked to find solutions from within their own ranks. There's a particular scene where manager Chris Coleman gathers his struggling squad and delivers a speech that embodies that Filipino concept perfectly - he essentially tells them that nobody outside their dressing room can fix their problems. This internal locus of control makes for compelling viewing because it's both dramatically satisfying and psychologically accurate.
Then there's "The English Game," which I initially approached with skepticism but ended up thoroughly enjoying. While technically a drama rather than documentary, it beautifully illustrates how football's earliest professionals battled class divides and institutional resistance. What makes it work, in my opinion, is how it shows teams gradually developing their collective movement against overwhelming odds. I've rewatched the scene where Fergus Suter introduces passing tactics multiple times because it demonstrates that revolutionary idea of players solving problems through coordinated movement rather than individual brilliance. The series reminds me that modern football's tactical sophistication emerged from these small, internal adjustments that teams discovered for themselves.
My personal favorite remains "First Team: Juventus," which provides unprecedented access to one of football's most storied institutions. Having visited Turin during the filming period, I can confirm the documentary captures the club's essence remarkably well. The scenes showing how Juventus recovered from their Champions League defeat to Real Madrid perfectly illustrate that concept of incremental recovery. There's a powerful moment where Giorgio Chiellini gathers the team after a tough loss and essentially says what that Filipino phrase expresses - they know the problem lies with them, so the solution must come from them too. What makes this documentary stand out, in my view, is how it balances superstar personalities with collective responsibility, showing that even Cristiano Ronaldo must buy into the team's gradual process of self-correction.
These documentaries succeed because they understand football's fundamental truth: that teams are living organisms constantly adjusting and readjusting. The best ones, like "Beckham" which surprisingly delivered deep insights despite its celebrity focus, show this process in all its messy, non-linear glory. Having followed Beckham's career since his Manchester United days, I found the documentary's portrayal of his gradual reinvention particularly moving. The series demonstrates how even global icons must sometimes go back to basics and rediscover their rhythm within a team context. What struck me was how Beckham's most triumphant moments came not from individual genius but from understanding his role within larger systems.
What I've learned from watching over 200 hours of soccer documentaries is that the most compelling stories aren't necessarily about winning. They're about that gradual process of teams finding themselves, that "paunti-unting" journey toward collective understanding. The next time you're debating which football documentary to watch, look for those moments where teams stop looking outward for solutions and start fixing things from within. That's where the real drama lies, and Netflix currently offers some of the finest examples of this genre ever produced.
