As we all know, sports documentaries almost always tend to have this inspirational, energetic feeling around them. They get even more interesting when it’s about a controversial moment or figure. Since we all love controversy, ‘Anelka: Misunderstood’ has been predicted to be a documentary that will peak interests.
Netflix has come to excel in the field of sporting documentaries, with the introduction of series’ such as ‘The Last Dance’, ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’, ‘Icarus’, ‘Diego Maradona’, ‘Next Goal Wins’, ‘The Short Game’, and ‘I Am Ali’ all winning popularity and critical recognition.
Anelka: Misunderstood presents Nicolas Anelka, who is supposedly known as the “bad boy of the French football”. The movie covers 40 years of his life, for the first time ever, Anelka revisits the entirety of his career.
Here is everything you need to know about this fascinating Netflix original documentary.
Who is Nicolas Anelka?
The 41-year-old French professional football manager and also former player was born Nicolas Sébastien Anelka in Le Chesnay, Yvelines, France. His parents migrated there from Martinique, and he was raised in Trappes, near Paris. Nicolas Anelka began what would be an illustrious football career at Paris Saint-Germain as a youth player at age 16 in 1996.
A year later when he was 17, he was signed by then-newly-appointed manager Arsène Wenger and moved to the Premier League Club, Arsenal. Two years later, in 1999 he was signed by Real Madrid. However, less than a year later, he found himself back at Paris-Saint Germain, where he would stay for the next two years.
In December of 2001, he came back to the Premier League, this time with Liverpool, who signed him on a short-term loan deal until the end of that season. Halfway through 2002, Anelka joined Manchester City. After brief spells at clubs like Fenerbahçe and Bolton Wanderers, he then joined Chelsea Football Club in 2008.
After a long period at Chelsea, Anelka moved on to the Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, then to Italy with Juventus, back to England with West Bromwich Albion, and then finally to India, at Mumbai City FC. At this club in 2015, he was given the title of player-manager.
Nicolas Anelka is married to Barbara Tausia, with whom he has two sons, Kais and Kahil.
Anelka: Misunderstood Release Date
Anelka: Misunderstood is set to arrive on Netflix, on August 5 and will allow fans to take a closer look at the career of the former France striker, who played for PSG, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea.
What is Anelka: Misunderstood all about?
According to Netflix, this documentary will explore the attackers controversy-filled legacy and ask whether he was inscrutable, incomparable or both.
The film includes interviews with some of the most exceptional footballing talent of Anelka’s generation, with former team-mates and managers including Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Petit and Paul Pogba all having their say – in addition to input from Anelka himself.
The synopsis of the documentary says”Despite having a career spanning almost 20 years at the highest levels, Nicolas Anelka is still hard to define. From sporting feats to controversies, he still remains a mysterious persona for many fans. An image that Anelka himself has cultivated.”
In this documentary, the former player revisits the episodes that transformed his career, his greatest moments as well as the ones he was not very proud of. It will throw light on his journey from Trappes in the impoverished Parisian suburbs, to becoming a worldwide phenomenon as part of some of the biggest football clubs in the world.
He also talks about the lowest moments in his life — the 2010 World Cup, the insults he allegedly directed at his manager, and his “immature tough guy” image.
Anelka: Misunderstood Trailer
The trailer for ‘Anelka: Misunderstood’ dropped on July 22, and it begins with Nicolas Anelka scoring a goal. Full of floating head interviews, footage of old matches, videos of his press conferences, and records of his past controversies, the film promises a rich look into the life of the footballer.
One thing that Anelka says in the documentary particularly stands out: “If you really want to be like me and do what I have done… you’ll only make enemies.”
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