''Goal II: Living the Dream'' (also known simply as ''Goal II'') is a 2007

sports drama film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the spor ...

directed by

Jaume Collet-Serra Jaume Collet-Serra (; born 23 March 1974) is a Spanish-American film director and producer. He directed the horror films '' House of Wax'' (2005), ''Orphan'' (2009), and '' The Shallows'' (2016), as well as the Liam Neeson-led thriller films ''U ...

from a screenplay by Mike Jefferies,

Adrian Butchart Adrian Butchart is a British screenwriter and film producer best known for being one of the writers of the movies '' Goal!'' and '' Goal! 2: Living the Dream...''. Early life Butchart was born in England of Scottish parents and grew up in L ...

, and Terry Loane.Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

22 May 2008 The sequel to '' Goal!'' (2005) and the second installment in the ''Goal!'' trilogy, it stars

Kuno Becker Eduardo Kuno Becker Paz (born January 14, 1978) professionally known as Kuno Becker, is a Mexican actor and film director who has worked in telenovelas, Mexican cinema, and U.S. cinema. He is best known for his portrayal of Ruben Berrizabal in ...

Alessandro Nivola Alessandro Antine Nivola (born June 28, 1972) is an American actor. He has been nominated for a Tony Award and an Independent Spirit Award and has won a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Independent Film Award (BIFA), and the Best Actor Award ...

Anna Friel Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, she has been acting professionally since age 13. Friel achieved fame with her portrayal of Beth Jordache on the British soap opera ''Brookside'' ( ...

Stephen Dillane Stephen John Dillane (; born 27 March 1957) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film '' The Hours'', Stannis Baratheon in ''Game of Thrones'', and Thomas Jefferson in the 2008 HBO miniseries ''John Ada ...

, and

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

. In the film, Santiago Muñez (Becker) faces difficulties as he tries to manage his sudden increased profile after moving to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. ''Goal II: Living the Dream'' was theatrically released in the United Kingdom by

Buena Vista International Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. until 2007, is an American film distribution studio within the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It ha ...

on 9 February 2007. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with some praise for its comedy but criticism for its screenplay, which many called predictable and melodramatic; it received better reception by audiences, and is considered a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

. ''Goal II: Living the Dream'' underperformed at the box office, grossing an estimated $7.8 million worldwide. The sequel and final installment, '' Goal III: Taking on the World'', was released in June 2009.

Plot

Santiago Muñez, the star player for

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

, joins

. His fiancée, Roz Harmison, is only able to see him intermittently, needing to stay in Newcastle to complete her nursing training. His move to Real Madrid reunites Santiago with Gavin Harris, his former teammate at Newcastle. In his debut, Gavin is substituted for Santiago, who leads Real Madrid to victory. Over the following weeks, Santiago becomes the club's star player and buys a home for him and Roz. While travelling to a commercial shoot, Enrique, Santiago's long-lost half-brother, ambushes him with a picture of their mother, Rosa María, who walked out on Santiago as a child. While on the phone to Mercedes, his grandmother, Santiago learns Mercedes knew Rosa lived in Madrid. In the following game against

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

, his first start for the team (replacing Gavin in the lineup), Santiago is given a red card for a tackle on

Vicente Rodríguez Vicente Rodríguez Guillén (; born 16 July 1981), known simply as Vicente, nicknamed ''El puñal de Benicalap'' (''The dagger of Benicalap''), is a Spanish former professional footballer. A left winger with outstanding technique, pace and sco ...

. In a bar after the game, Santiago is approached by sports television personality Jordana García. Santiago and Jordana get drunk and share a kiss, causing him to miss the team plane to

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

for a game in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

against Rosenborg. Arriving alone, Santiago is disciplined by club manager Rudi Van Der Merwe by being left out the team. After the match, an angry Santiago fires Glen Foy as his agent. Gavin moves in with Santiago after being evicted when his agent, Barry, defaults on rental payments. After playing football at home with Gavin, Santiago injures his knee. Rudi orders Santiago begin strict injury rehabilitation, which cancels his plans to spend Christmas with Roz in Newcastle; this marks another in a stretch of recent disagreements between the couple borne out of their logistical difference. At Gavin's New Year's Eve party, Santiago and Jordana share another kiss, which is leaked to the press; Roz then calls off their relationship. Santiago meets Enrique, who, after an argument, steals Santiago's gear bag and escapes to his parents' diner. Rosa forbids him from seeing Santiago. Meanwhile, Gavin re-establishes himself in the Real Madrid first team. At a club event, Santiago's

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...

is stolen by Enrique, who crashes and is badly injured. At the hospital, Santiago takes responsibility for the crash to the police; when a reporter sneaks a picture, Santiago assaults him. While being arrested, Santiago sees Rosa arrive at the hospital. After leading Real Madrid to the Champions League final by scoring the winner against

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, Santiago visits Rosa. She tells him she went to Madrid when he was a child as she feared for her safety after being attacked by two men, one of which was Santiago's uncle. When Rosa returned to Mexico three weeks later, she found her family had left for the United States. Santiago then reunites with a healed Enrique. Prior to the final against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, Santiago asks Rudi to start Gavin ahead of him to increase Gavin's chances at securing an extension to his contract and a place in the England squad for the upcoming

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

. Santiago also calls and apologizes to Roz. In the match, Gavin starts but concedes a penalty to Arsenal for a tackle on T.J. Harper in the first minute; Arsenal take the lead and gain control of the game. Santiago is brought on in the second half to play alongside Gavin. Arsenal eventually go 2–0 up and are denied a bigger lead when

Iker Casillas Iker Casillas Fernández (; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and currently works as a football commentator. Popularly dubbed "''San Iker''" ("Saint Iker") for his ability to produce spectac ...

saves Arsenal's second penalty. Santiago combines with Harris, who scores to make it 2–1. In the final few minutes, Santiago scores to equalize; with a few seconds to go,

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

scores a direct free kick to win the Champions League.

Cast

Production

Music

* "

Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of ...

" -

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

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Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's s ...

" -

Barbara Bonney Barbara Bonney (born April 14, 1956) is an American soprano. She is associated with lyric soprano roles in operas by Mozart and Richard Strauss as well as lieder performances. Early life Bonney was born in Montclair, New Jersey. As a child she pr ...

* "

Bright Idea ''Bright Idea'' is the debut studio album of American power pop band Orson. Originally self-released in 2005, it was released commercially on May 29, 2006 in the UK and internationally on June 13, 2006. The album was recorded for just $5,000 in ...

" - Orson * "

I Like the Way (You Move) "I Like the Way" is a single by Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish DJ Dylan Burns and Australian singer Kaz James, collectively known as BodyRockers. It was released on 18 April 2005 and later appeared on the group's BodyRockers (album), self-titled ...

" -

BodyRockers BodyRockers were an English–Australian electronic music duo, consisting of Dylan Burns and Kaz James, which formed in 2004. Their 2005 single, "I Like the Way (BodyRockers song), I Like the Way", reached No. 3 on the United Kingdom UK S ...

* "I See Girls (Crazy)" (Tom Neville Remix) - Studio B * "Friday Friday" -

Boy Kill Boy Boy Kill Boy were an English rock band based in Leytonstone, East London. The band produced two studio albums and six singles before splitting in 2008. Their highest charting single was "Suzie", which reached #17 in the UK singles chart in 2006. ...

* "

Letting the Cables Sleep "Letting the Cables Sleep" is the second single from British band Bush's third studio album '' The Science of Things'', which was released in 1999. In an interview, Gavin Rossdale revealed that the song was written for a friend who had contrac ...

" -

Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

* "

Turning Japanese "Turning Japanese" is a song by English band the Vapors, from their 1980 album ''New Clear Days''. It was an international hit, becoming the band's most well-known song. The song prominently features an Oriental riff played on guitar. Overview ...

" -

The Vapors The Vapors are an English new wave and power pop band that initially existed between 1978 and 1981. They had a hit with the song "Turning Japanese", which reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1980 and No. 36 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

* "Denial" - Stereo Black * " No Tomorrow" - Orson * "

La Camisa Negra "La Camisa Negra" ("The Black Shirt") is a Spanish rock song written by Juanes, inspired by Colombian singer-songwriter Octavio Mesa and recorded by Juanes for his third studio album ''Mi Sangre''. In Latin America, the track was released in 2005 ...

" -

Juanes file:Juanes ZMF 2015 jm49108.jpg, Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany file:Juanes ZMF 2015 jm49211.jpg, Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born 9 August 19 ...

* "

Feeling a Moment "Feeling a Moment" is a song by Welsh rock band Feeder from their fifth studio album, ''Pushing the Senses'' (2005). It was released as the second single from the album on 4 April 2005 and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also ...

" - Feeder * "E246" - Coco & Puttnam * "Toe the Line" -

Trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...

* " Push the Button" -

Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...

* "

Here Without You "Here Without You" is a song by American rock band 3 Doors Down. The power ballad was released on July 28, 2003, as the third single from the band's second studio album, ''Away from the Sun'' (2002). The song reached 5 on the US ''Billboard'' ...

" - 3 Doors Down * "

Nothing Nothing, the complete absence of anything, has been a matter of philosophical debate since at least the 5th century BC. Early Greek philosophers argued that it was impossible for ''nothing'' to exist. The atomists allowed ''nothing'' but only i ...

" - A * "DESTINATION" -

Year Long Disaster Year Long Disaster was an American rock band from Los Angeles. Formed in 2004, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist Daniel Davies, bassist Rich Mullins and drummer Brad Hargreaves. Hargreaves was later replaced by Rob Oswald, and gu ...

* "Cógelo" - Muchachito Bombo Infierno

Reception

Notes

References

External links

''Goal II:''
at the Sports Movie Database * * *
Q&A with Steve McManaman, Kuno Becker, Mike Jefferies and Anna Friel
at Phase9.tv {{Jaume Collet-Serra 2007 films British Association of Barbershop Singers 2000s English-language films 2000s Spanish-language films Films directed by Jaume Collet-Serra Films scored by Stephen Warbeck Films shot in Madrid Films distributed by Disney Real Madrid CF British sequel films Goal! films Films set in 2005 Films set in 2006 Spanish sequel films Spanish sports films 2007 multilingual films British multilingual films Spanish multilingual films