3. The Two Escobars
Site rank 9, IMDb rank 9, Overall rank = 18
Directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist
In the early 1990s, Colombia was a country torn apart by an internal strife fueled by the raging drug war, featuring world-famous drug trafficker Pablo Escobar and his notorious Medellin Cartel. The nation desperately needed a cause to unite it and they found it in a national soccer team led by Andreas Escobar. The two weren’t related by blood, but the mix of sport, drugs and politics brought them together in a story masterfully retold by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist.
Andreas Escobar is one of the most tragic figures in sports history. A great player and role model, he was the captain of the Colombian national team that played in 1994 World Cup. His goal mistakenly scored against his own team in a game with the US stopped Colombians from advancing into the knockout stage of the tournament. Upon his return home, he was assassinated by the Gallón brothers’ henchmen who’d lost a lot of money betting on Colombia. Had Pablo been alive (he was killed a year before) it is doubtful that anyone would have dared touch one of his favorite players.
