It’s a 30 year old film which was panned by many but to me Escape to Victory is one of the greatest football movies of all time. The climax was that memorable strike from King Pele yet this weekend Wayne Rooney scored an almost identical effort lifting the roof off Old Trafford with one of the goals of the season. Henry Winter wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that “One fan declared it the best overhead kick since Pele in ‘Escape to Victory’. Anyone familiar with the movie will love this”. Apart from the ‘Black Rooney’, the movie also featured such football greats as Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Mike Summerbee and a host of other world stars.
That comparison has now gone a step further with this video of Rooney scoring his wonder goal against Manchester City with the background music, crowd noise and screen shots in accordance with how it all appeared in Escape to Victory. Blending in Michael Caine’s “knock it wide” and a most amusing shot of Roberto Mancini, Manchester United fans and anyone familiar with the movie will love this.
I clearly remember telling a friend of mine after watching this movie for the first time in the early eighties that it was pure American bullshit – but bloody entertaining bullshit. So much so that I went back to see it a second and third time.
Have you ever had an opportunity of watching this movie?
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