Discover the Best Soccer Series on Netflix to Watch This Weekend
As I settled into my couch last Friday evening, scrolling through Netflix's seemingly endless catalog, I found myself thinking about how sports narratives have evolved in streaming content. Having followed both professional sports and entertainment media for over a decade, I've noticed a fascinating shift toward sports documentaries that capture not just the games themselves, but the human stories behind them. This weekend, if you're looking for compelling soccer content, Netflix offers several remarkable series that go beyond typical match highlights to explore the psychology, culture, and personal journeys within the beautiful game.
I always start my soccer series recommendations with "Sunderland 'Til I Die," which remains in my top three sports documentaries of all time. The series follows Sunderland AFC's tumultuous 2017-2018 season after their relegation from the Premier League, capturing the raw emotion of players, staff, and the incredibly passionate fanbase. What makes this series particularly compelling is how it portrays the intersection between community identity and athletic performance. The economic challenges facing Sunderland as a city mirror the team's struggles on the pitch, creating a powerful parallel narrative that stays with you long after the credits roll. The access granted to filmmakers is unprecedented - we see everything from tense boardroom discussions about transfer budgets to intimate moments where players confront their own limitations. I've rewatched the series twice, and each time I find new layers in how it explores the business realities of modern football versus traditional fan expectations.
Then there's "The English Game," created by Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes, which takes us back to the origins of professional football in 19th century England. While some historians have questioned certain dramatic liberties taken with the timeline, the series brilliantly illustrates how class divisions shaped the sport's early development. The conflict between aristocratic amateur players and working-class professionals who needed compensation for time away from factories creates a fascinating social commentary that remains relevant today. I particularly appreciate how the series shows football's evolution from a pastime for the wealthy to the people's game - though I do wish it had devoted more screen time to the tactical development of the sport itself rather than focusing primarily on social dynamics.
For those interested in the global reach of soccer, "First Team: Juventus" provides incredible behind-the-scenes access to one of Italy's most storied clubs. The three-part series covers the 2017-2018 season, featuring superstars like Gianluigi Buffon and Paulo Dybala. What struck me most was the psychological pressure these athletes operate under - something we rarely see during televised matches. There's a particularly powerful scene where manager Massimiliano Allegri addresses the team after a devastating loss, his words measured but carrying immense emotional weight. The series does an excellent job showing how tactical decisions made during training sessions translate to performance on match days, giving viewers a new appreciation for the strategic complexity of professional football.
Now, you might wonder why I'm discussing volleyball statistics when the topic is soccer series. That reference to a rookie scoring 33 points in her UAAP seniors' debut actually highlights something important about sports storytelling - the moments of breakthrough performance that become legendary. The best sports documentaries capture these pivotal moments and the athletes who create them. While that particular record belongs to volleyball, similar breakthrough narratives appear throughout soccer documentaries, like when an unknown youth academy player scores their first professional goal or when a veteran player reinvents themselves late in their career. These human elements transcend specific sports and create emotional connections with viewers, even those who might not consider themselves hardcore fans.
My personal favorite, and arguably the series that revolutionized sports documentaries, is "All or Nothing," which has featured several football clubs including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. The Manchester City installment, covering their record-breaking 2017-2018 season where they accumulated 100 points, showcases Pep Guardiola's managerial genius in unprecedented detail. We see him using incredibly specific analogies to explain tactical concepts - at one point comparing defensive positioning to the precise movements of a symphony conductor. The access to dressing room talks is extraordinary, revealing how motivational techniques vary from fiery speeches to quiet, personal conversations. Having watched this series with friends who aren't particularly interested in football, I've seen firsthand how it converts casual viewers into appreciators of the sport's psychological dimensions.
What makes these series so compelling, in my view, is their ability to balance multiple narrative threads simultaneously. They show the business operations requiring clubs to generate approximately $450 million annually to compete at the highest level, the training regimens that have players practicing specific moves thousands of times, and the personal sacrifices that often mean missing family events or playing through pain that would hospitalize most people. The best episodes make you forget you're watching a documentary and instead immerse you in the high-stakes world of professional football where careers can be made or broken in a single moment.
As streaming platforms continue to recognize the appeal of sports content, I'm excited to see how this genre evolves. The success of these series (industry reports suggest sports documentaries now generate approximately 280 million viewing hours monthly across major platforms) demonstrates that audiences crave deeper engagement with sports beyond live games. The emotional resonance comes from understanding the context - the childhood dreams, the grueling training, the political maneuvering within clubs, and the cultural significance of football in communities worldwide. So this weekend, instead of just watching match highlights, consider diving into one of these series. You'll emerge with a richer understanding of why football isn't just a game, but a reflection of human ambition, community, and the relentless pursuit of excellence that transcends sport itself.