Beckham scores celluloid goal

The world's most famous footballer will play himself in the tale of a Latino kid trying to make it in the competetive world of football.

Nov 10 2004

Not content with being the most famous footballer on the planet, David Beckham is all set to conquer the world of film when he makes his big screen debut in 2006.

'Goal!' a rags to riches footballing trilogy to be directed by Britain’s own Danny Cannon, will see Beckham play himself alongside soccer superstars Zinadine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Raul, Patrick Kluivert and, errr, Kieron Dyer.

'It's no secret that I want to be involved in youth coaching when I finally hang up my boots,' Beckham said, 'And I believe that the 'Goal!' trilogy will provide a tremendous platform for me to communicate positive messages associated to that, to kids around the world.

'I also believe that 'Goal!' will help market the game and develop its appeal and fan base in emerging markets like America and Asia, and I am only too happy to help that process.'

The $100 million movie, which starts principal photography in January, will tell the tale of a young Latino (played by up and coming Mexican star Diego Luna) who dreams of carving out a career for himself in the sport.

The first film sees the youngster journey from the Barrios of East LA to the glamour (and cold) of the Premier League with Newcastle United. He then joins Real Madrid where he plays in the Champions League before finally appearing at the FIFA World Cup Finals in the trilogy’s closing chapter.

The film had a false start earlier in the year when director Michael Winterbottom joined the project before promptly leaving due to 'creative differences.' But with Cannon now firmly at the helm and global icon Beckham agreeing to cameo, producer Mike Jefferies can’t wait for the project to finally kick off.

'We could not be more delighted to have signed David', said Jefferies, 'It has always been imperative to our creative vision to feature real teams, real competitions and real players, and they certainly don't come much bigger and better than the England captain.'

Whether the film world is ready for Beckham's big screen debut remains to be seen, but as long as old Goldenballs doesn't have to take any critical penalties over the course of the trilogy, a lucrative new career could be just around the corner.

The first 'Goal!' film is set to be released in August 2005.

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