All that I’ve done, don’t do it. You’ll only make enemies.
There’s a certain cynicism that comes with watching a documentary about an elite footballer, about someone paid millions of dollars (Pounds? Euros?) to kick a ball around with 21 other people. To do what millions of children are doing every day at the park. These days, there’s a perception that these players are prima donnas and man babies. I mean, just look at the way they fall. You’d think that they’ve been shot, when all that actually happened was a tap to the ankle.
Some say they don’t make athletes like they used to, back when men were men, and footballers spent their days in pubs. These days they’re just chasing fast money and even faster cars.
On some level, Frenchmen Nicolas Anelka was the first player to have faced that criticism. The idea that a player was more than just an employee, indebted, and owned. The idea that a player could have an opinion. That he could want to, god forbid, move clubs. (Shock. Horror.) If this sounds unbelievable, remember that the Bosman ruling (which, at its simplest, means that a player could leave a club once their contract had ended) only came into effect in 1995. And that for a player to take charge of their career, the way the Anelka did so early in his career, was borderline suicidal.
Will you overcome hardship? I don’t know.
Are you mentally tough? I don’t know.
Anelka: Misunderstood goes some way in trying to claw back some of the respect Nicolas Anelka has lost over the course of his long and storied career. Yes, this is a documentary told from the point of view of the subject, so make of that what you will. But in tracing the trajectory of his career, this movie goes a long way in showing the audience that for all his perceived mistakes and personal problems, none of the things he had done was out of place for someone whose number one gripe had always been about respect.
From his early days in the renowned footballing academy Clairefontaine, to his 20 year jaunt across some of Europe’s most historic clubs (PSG, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Juventus), and the not so historic ones (Fenerbahçe, Bolton, Shanghai, West Bromwich Albion, Mumbai), Nicolas Anelka had always been about two things: football and respect. Leaving the fanciful Paris Saint-Germain team at 17 because he wasn’t going to be given any guaranteed playing time. Leaving European champions Real Madrid at 20 because he felt he wasn’t respected by the club hierarchy and the Spanish media. And on, and on, and on.
Watching this will leave you with one of two opinions. 1) Anelka is a player not willing to work hard for the team and leaves just when the going gets tough. Or 2) Anelka’s decisions are justified.
You want to be like me? There’s no point. You’re not me.
I would, however, like to put forth a third argument.
Anelka: Misunderstood argues that while the young, gifted player was indeed shown disrespect, he had done nothing to earn it, but instead let his demands for it get the better of him. Nothing shows this more clearly than the final 30 minutes of the documentary, and the disastrous events of the 2006 South African World Cup.
After terrible performances in the opening two games of the competition, the French national team were left in disarray when it was reported by L’Èquipe, France’s premier football newspaper, that Nicolas Anelka had insulted Raymond Domenech, the manager of the national team. Anelka was then sent home from the competition for showing grave disrespect. This only served to anger his teammates. The team then refuses to train, the images of which are broadcasted around the world. Even the French president weighed in on Anelka’s perceived indiscretion. Upon returning from the competition, Anelka loses his defamation suit against the newspaper. The judge, siding with the newspaper, stated that because Anelka had not denied the altercation, the newspaper was able to sensationalise a quote attributed to him, despite him never uttering the words.
Could Anelka the player have bit his tongue and fought for his place, his team, and his nation? Sure. Was he showing disrespect to his manager? Absolutely. Did he deserve to have been stripped of his place in the national team? Probably. Did he, however, deserve to be globally vilified for a quote that was not his? No.
If you really want to be like me and do what I’ve done, be prepared.
Anelka: Misunderstood left me with a newfound respect for a player that I had known very little about. Anelka, the player, was world class, but Anelka, the person, needed something more. Was he given bad advice by those around him? Was he a hothead that should have known better? The documentary doesn’t really take a side. Nicolas Anelka speaks, his footballing fraternity speaks, but is anyone listening? Is Nicolas Anelka listening?
“All that I’ve done, don’t do it. You’ll only make enemies.“
“Will you overcome hardship? I don’t know.
Are you mentally tough? I don’t know.“
“You want to be like me? There’s no point. You’re not me.“
“If you really want to be like me and do what I’ve done, be prepared.“
These opening lines of the documentary, spoken by Nicolas Anelka himself, may tell you that he still hasn’t developed the self-awareness to see the mistakes he’s made, or where he’s fallen short. That he’s still looking to make himself the fallen hero of this tragic tale.
To me, this movie tells a different story. It is a warning to future generations from the man himself. He’s merely telling his tale. He knows that he is no hero. And that he’s okay with it.
Anelka: Misunderstood
Netflix
94 minutes
Director: Franck Nataf
Cast: Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry, Patrice Evra, Arsene Wenger, Patrick Viera, and Emmanuel Petit
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