GOAL!

Year: 2005
UK: Buena Vista International UK
Cast: Kuno Becker, Stephen Dillane, Alessandro Nivola, Anna Friel, Marcel Iures, Sean Pertwee, Lee Ross, Stephen Graham, Kevin Knapman, Kieran O'Brien, Cassandra Bell, Tony Plana, Miriam Colon, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Raul, Alan Shearer, Greg Ellis, Frances Barber, Tracy Dali, Kieron Dyer, Emma Field-Rayner, Raul Gonzalez Jack Gustav, Andy Hawthorne, Brian Johnson, Rhydian Jones, Patrick Kluivert, Ernesto Leszek, Gary Lewis, Peter Rnic, Ren Urano, Alexander von Roon, Ashley Walters, Sammy Montero
Director: Danny Cannon
Country: USA
UK: 118 mins
UK Certificate: 12A contains moderate language
UK Release Date: 30 September 2005

Synopsis

GOAL! is a three part $100M feature film trilogy about a young man's odyssey to become one of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen.

PART 1

Like every kid, Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) has a big dream. But unlike every kid, he's given the rare opportunity to make that dream come true—if he's willing to put his fears aside, travel thousands of miles from home, and hold his own with some of the best in the world. The intense pressure and personal sacrifice prove costly for Santiago on his quest—but will they be enough to keep this gifted, determined young athlete and fledgling hero from his ultimate "Goal"?

When Santiago crossed the border into America at the age of 10, he had two things in his possession: his football and a tattered picture of the World Cup. Working menial jobs while growing up in Los Angeles, Santiago's (Kuno Becker) passion was playing football. Convincing his father that he could be an international football star was another story: "There are two types of people in this world," declared the elder Munez, "People in big houses, and people like us who cut their lawns and wash their cars."

But when Brit Glen Foy (Stephen Dillane), an amiable former football player and sometime scout spots Santiago at a local L.A. match, he recognizes a deft, fast and brave footballer—the kind of talent that the glamorous English Premier League Club, Newcastle United, is hungry for.

Now thrust into a foreign land where football is a religion and Newcastle's St. James' Park its cathedral, this young American must prove that he's got the grit and the game to win a contract with one of the most prestigious football clubs in the world. Muddy fields, cold winds and crunching blows from teammates—not to mention personal woes, injuries, and the temptations of life in the fast lane—are just a few of the obstacles Santiago must overcome to triumph in the heady, heart-pounding world of international football.

Directed by Danny Cannon, GOAL! stars up and coming Latino actor Kuno Becker. Some of the hottest representatives from the world of football also appear in the movie, including David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Raul, and Newcastle United's Captain Alan Shearer. The film also stars Alessandro Nivola, Stephen Dillane, Anna Friel, Marcel Iures, Sean Pertwee, Lee Ross, Stephen Graham, Kevin Knapman, Cassandra Bell, Kieran O'Brien, Tony Plana and Miriam Colon.