The six-part docuseries, streaming on Netflix, dives into behind-the-scenes moments, including captains’ off-field interactions, steering clear from any in-depth analysis of the matches
Sports documentaries are predominantly biopics with stars in focus. We have outstanding films made by Emir Kusturica and Asif Kapadia on Diego Maradona’s life. More recently, the documentary Pelé (2021) by David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas added to this genre. In addition to individual player profiles, there are documentaries covering major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, continental tournaments, and UEFA events, all presented in a traditional format.
The 2022 FIFA world cup has been the subject for two internationally acclaimed documentaries so far, with BBC One’s Lionel Messi: The Destiny (2023) being the first one. Following suit, Netflix’s collaborative six-part docuseries, Captains of the World, directed by Ben and Gabe Turner, takes a distinctive approach to tournament documentation.
The docuseries, which serves as a follow-up to Captains that premiered in 2022, offers an emotional and behind-the-scenes perspective on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, providing viewers with a unique and immersive experience. The earlier instalment provided an in-depth exploration of the qualification campaigns of various teams. The current series extends this narrative, building upon the foundation laid by its predecessor.
The Retrospective Approach
The series stands out from the typical post-tournament documentaries. It takes a poignant retrospective approach, putting a spotlight on some exceptional players, and their emotional experience of the tournament. It delves more into the emotional aspects of individual players, mostly captains of the teams, steering clear from any in-depth analysis of the matches. It centres on the emotional essence of the tournament rather than diving deep into the technicalities of the games.
Danish captain Simon Kjær, who won the Guardian player of the year in 2021 for the gesture that literally saved Christian Ericson’s life during the match against Finland of Euro 2020; Brazilian captain Thiago Silva who had had an agonising fight with tuberculosis in his early career; Taylor Adams, the captain of the USA team, who was modest enough to openly accept the criticism for mispronouncing Iran in pre-match press conference; Senegalese captain Kalidou Koulibaly; Japanese captain Maya Yoshida and Moroccan captain Romain Saïss are the ones who set the tone of the docuseries rather than the obvious names of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Busquets or Harry Kane.
The docuseries thoughtfully pays tribute to notable absentees, ensuring the inclusion of great players beyond the likes of Pele or Maradona. Unsung heroes, such as Gary Speed, who played a pivotal role in transforming professional football in Wales, and Papa Bouba Diop, the star of the 2002 World Cup who passed away in 2020, are emotionally remembered. Captains of the World excels in its use of intercutting visuals; the ones juxtaposing Senegal’s performance in Qatar with Diop’s in 2002 are particularly noteworthy.
A football documentary offers an ideal platform for employing a nonlinear narrative technique. The timeline of events can be skilfully woven, cutting back and forth from one match to another or from different sequences. While its montage-like structure might be seen as a distraction by some, to me, it is the defining aspect of the docuseries.
The Emotional Quotient
As far as the behind-the-scenes happenings are concerned, the attitude shown by the Australian team before taking on Argentina was a revelation. The pre-match pep talk by the coach and captain was laden with beeps, censoring explicit language or profanities. The level of disdain they expressed towards their rivals was unexpected, especially with a non-existent history of rivalry between the two teams. It appeared that the production team hadn’t used as many beeps with any other team, making this confrontation stand out.
The players’ families had a crucial role throughout the tournament; the scenes of Achraf Hakimi leaping over the fence to hug his mother making a sensational new photograph; Maya Yoshida’s kids consoling him after Japan’s defeat against Croatia; and Kjaer’s sons, unable to travel with him, wanting him back home after their defeat add a poignant touch, underlining the emotional stakes for the players beyond the game.
There’s a notable sequence involving Brazil’s Thiago Silva and Croatia’s Mateo Kovačić, who were former teammates at Chelsea, in the tunnel immediately after the match where the Croats eliminated the five-time world champions. Silva opens up about his emotions to a member of the team that defeated his own, honestly expressing that he is not in the mood to go home and would rather go somewhere else. The Brazilian captain shares with Kovačić: “We would have definitely flown home if we had won the match against you.” Kovacic, showing grace and empathy, consoles him by patting on his back without displaying the jubilation typically associated with a winner. What adds to the poignancy of this ‘scene’ is that it wasn’t staged for the camera; it unfolded spontaneously and authentically.
The face-off between Tottenham teammates and best friends, Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris, during a penalty miss is another instance where emotions come into play. The docuseries aptly captures the commentator’s observation that the familiarity between the kicker and the goalkeeper might have played a role in Kane’s miss in the quarter finals.
In the spotlight: Messi and Ronaldo
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo naturally take up a major portion of the series, with Ronaldo’s benching taking the spotlight. It thoroughly covers aspects like the Piers Morgan interview, subsequent developments at Manchester United, and his standoff with the Portugal coach, as expected. However, certain controversial incidents, such as the header goal claim, have been rightly omitted.
The Argentina-Netherlands match and Messi’s showdown with Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal has been meticulously documented, which provided a historical perspective to the viewers. The Juan Román Riquelme episode, highlighting Van Gaal’s prejudice that almost jeopardized his career at Barcelona during the 2002 season, is presented in detail with archival visuals. Notably, Messi’s outburst against Dutch striker Wout Weghorst has not been omitted.
Another intriguing aspect of the series is the representation of the emotional pulse of Argentina through TV journalist Sophia Martinez. Martinez, who sentimentally conveyed to Messi during a World Cup interview that he had left an indelible mark in every Argentine’s life, transcending the importance of winning any World Cup, became the symbolic image of the nation throughout the docuseries. Her consistent presence in the stadium, passionately cheering for her team during matches, shows the emotional connect between the country and its football team.
In his book, The Open Work (1962), Umberto Eco observes: “From the very beginnings of television, there was an awareness that even the live broadcast presupposed choices, acts of manipulation.” In the book, he attempts to show how two or three cameras filming a football match, inherently competitive, where no striker would intentionally miss a goal and no goalkeeper would willingly allow one through for the sake of entertainment, selectively capture events. These cameras focus on specific actions while overlooking others, picking out the spectators at the expense of the game and vice versa. They frame the field from a particular perspective. In short, they interpret the match as seen by the director rather than reproducing the ‘complete’ match.
However, in an era dominated by social media, netizens act as the inadvertent documentarians, capturing countless moments on their mobile phones. The vast array of videos circulating online has become a treasure trove, offering glimpses of the on-field and off-field magic that might have otherwise slipped through the cracks. From Messi’s awe-inspiring goal against Mexico to his mesmerizing run against Croatia’s Joško Gvardiol, these mobile phone recordings preserve the essence of the tournament.
Alexis Mac Allister’s reaction to Angel di Maria’s goal and Emiliano Martinez’s demeanour during Gonzalo Montiel’s spot kick in the final shootout are now etched in the collective memory, all thanks to the diligent amateur videographers in the stands. However, the portrayal of the World Cup in this well-edited docuseries is truly exceptional.
The moment of silence before that long carpet drive of Messi against Mexico and the single beat of the drum when Dibu Martínez blocked the 123rd minute volley by Randal Kolo Muani are the two memorable moments in the 270-minutes-long docuseries, with Ilan Eshkeri’s background score throughout serving as the heartbeat, infusing it with a profound emotional resonance.
