Olympics-Tinged Stars Feature In The Netflix Docuseries
Captains of the World (2023)
A Quick TV Review
One might be tempted to think that Netflix's Captains of the World is a direct follow-up to it's earlier docuseries Captains, which showcased qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup through the eyes of select team captains.
A Quick TV Review
One might be tempted to think that Netflix's Captains of the World is a direct follow-up to it's earlier docuseries Captains, which showcased qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup through the eyes of select team captains.
Not quite, as Captains of the World is more of a general, overall recap of that FIFA World Cup, with some highlighted commentary from team captains.
For those who may have been living under a rock during that period...2022's FIFA World Cup was a landmark event - the preeminent global soccer tournament occurring for the first time in the Middle East (Qatar), in November and December, no less, to avoid summer heat, and under a cloud of uncomfortable realities the host selection provided.
But the quality of play and on-field drama was not lacking, and Captains of the World does a pretty good job of offering a quality recap. (Netflix has gotten pretty good at these sports series, no?)
All the major competition plot lines discovered at Qatar 2002 are here - Team Argentina's loss to Team Saudi Arabia, Team Iran's silent protest, the significance Team Wales' appearance, the political overtones of the Team USA vs Team Iran match, star Cristiano Ronaldo's bencing in Team Portugal's run, Team Japan leading the way in the Group Stage, the tension of that Team Argentina vs Team Netherlands quarterfinal match, Team England's Harry Kane vs Team France's Hugo Lloris in a rare matchup of team captains who are club teammates, the overall success of African teams - particularly the Moroccan run to the semifinals* - and even the drama of Team Denmark's participation. (To recap: not only did the Danes rally around the return of star Christian Eriksen after a severe health scare, but was perhaps the most outspoken team against those aforementioned Qatar issues.)
And, Olympic connections abound in interviews and featured recaps. From Beijing 2008 gold medalist Lionel Messi to teammate Alexis Mac Allister (Tokyo 2020), Maya Yoshida (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Tokyo 2020), Cristiano Ronaldo (Athens 2004), Neymar (London 2012, Rio 2016), and prospective Olympians Kylian Mbappe and Tyler Adams.
Captains of the World's beautiful footage and on-target retrospection builds nicely to the culmination of Team Argentina's win in the end, providing - *apologies to an announcer's claim regarding Team Morocco's and African success at Qatar 2022 - the 'story of the tournament' in living soccer legend Messi finally winning the coveted trophy for the first time.
And don't miss the reality check of seeing Team Brazil star Thiago Silva reconnecting with Team Croatia's Mateo Kovacic in a subdued post-match encounter, reminding us of the humanity of the players behind their heroics on the field. It's another view of the stars that for one month at least, really were 'captains of the world'.
For those who may have been living under a rock during that period...2022's FIFA World Cup was a landmark event - the preeminent global soccer tournament occurring for the first time in the Middle East (Qatar), in November and December, no less, to avoid summer heat, and under a cloud of uncomfortable realities the host selection provided.
But the quality of play and on-field drama was not lacking, and Captains of the World does a pretty good job of offering a quality recap. (Netflix has gotten pretty good at these sports series, no?)
All the major competition plot lines discovered at Qatar 2002 are here - Team Argentina's loss to Team Saudi Arabia, Team Iran's silent protest, the significance Team Wales' appearance, the political overtones of the Team USA vs Team Iran match, star Cristiano Ronaldo's bencing in Team Portugal's run, Team Japan leading the way in the Group Stage, the tension of that Team Argentina vs Team Netherlands quarterfinal match, Team England's Harry Kane vs Team France's Hugo Lloris in a rare matchup of team captains who are club teammates, the overall success of African teams - particularly the Moroccan run to the semifinals* - and even the drama of Team Denmark's participation. (To recap: not only did the Danes rally around the return of star Christian Eriksen after a severe health scare, but was perhaps the most outspoken team against those aforementioned Qatar issues.)
And, Olympic connections abound in interviews and featured recaps. From Beijing 2008 gold medalist Lionel Messi to teammate Alexis Mac Allister (Tokyo 2020), Maya Yoshida (Beijing 2008, London 2012, Tokyo 2020), Cristiano Ronaldo (Athens 2004), Neymar (London 2012, Rio 2016), and prospective Olympians Kylian Mbappe and Tyler Adams.
Captains of the World's beautiful footage and on-target retrospection builds nicely to the culmination of Team Argentina's win in the end, providing - *apologies to an announcer's claim regarding Team Morocco's and African success at Qatar 2022 - the 'story of the tournament' in living soccer legend Messi finally winning the coveted trophy for the first time.
And don't miss the reality check of seeing Team Brazil star Thiago Silva reconnecting with Team Croatia's Mateo Kovacic in a subdued post-match encounter, reminding us of the humanity of the players behind their heroics on the field. It's another view of the stars that for one month at least, really were 'captains of the world'.
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