Beckham Netflix show takes No1 spot on top 20 greatest sports documentaries ever

David Beckham’s new Netflix series has been ranked the greatest sports documentary of all time.

‘Beckham’ – a four-part mini-series directed by Succession actor Fisher Stevens – hit the popular streaming service in early October. It instantly captured the attention of the nation and beyond as it delved into the famous Manchester United No.7’s rise to stardom, marriage to Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and his various adversities.

But while many enjoyed the nostalgic look back at the career of one of the biggest sportspeople in history, Betfair have gone one step further to name it the greatest sports documentary ever thanks to a new poll.

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It may come as a shock given the increasing popularity of sports documentaries in recent years. The documentaries of Pele and Diego Maradona, widely considered the two best footballers of all time, only ranked fourth and eighth respectively behind the England legend.

Football dominated the rest of the top-10 thanks to ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ in third and ‘Gazza’ (Paul Gascoigne) in sixth. But in second place was the 2010 epic documentary film ‘Senna’, covering the life and death of Brazilian Formula One champion Ayrton Senna.

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The Covid-19 pandemic-released hit ‘The Last Dance’ depicting Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ stellar six NBA championships was only deemed the 14th best documentary by Betfair poll-takers. And there is still a growing demand for more documentaries – with Michael Schumacher, Lionel Messi and Manchester United’s 1999 Treble winners topping the list of fan requests.

Yet fans are also interested in seeing traditionally less popular sports on their screens, with snooker ranked in the top ten sports that people would like to see covered in documentaries.

And over a quarter of people polled were even interested in horse racing documentaries – with those calls being answered on Saturday with Betfair’s latest production: “Serial Winners: Rachael Blackmore” – highlighting the story of one of racing’s true gamechangers.

Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “It’s clear that we’re a nation of sports documentary lovers. They are fast becoming the new ‘go-to’ for Saturday night viewing, bringing the same levels of drama and intrigue as some of the nation’s favourite soaps.

‌“Even people who aren’t into sport are tuning into them, with 60% saying they like to watch them. Give me Beckham over Brookside any day of the week!

“The story of Rachael Blackmore is no different – a tale of the trials, tribulations and perseverance it takes to succeed against the odds. Our Serial Winners mini-documentary will give fans a great insight on this and we can’t wait for the yellow carpet premiere at Haydock Racecourse on Saturday.”

THE BEST SPORTING DOCUMENTARIES OF ALL TIME AS FOUND BY BETFAIR:

1. Beckham (Football)
2. Senna (Formula One)
3. Welcome to Wrexham (Football)
4. Pele (Football)
5. Alex Higgins: The People’s Champion (Snooker)
6. Gazza (Football)
7. Drive to Survive (Formula One)
8. Diego Maradona (Football)
9. Break point (Tennis)
10. Stop at Nothing: Lance Armstrong (Cycling)
11. Sunderland ‘Til I Die (Football)
12. All or Nothing – Man City (Football)
13. The Test – Australian Cricket Documentary (Cricket)
14. The Last Dance (Basketball)
15. All or Nothing – Spurs (Football)
16. The Impossible Job (Football)
17. Full Swing (Golf)
18. Cheer (Cheerleading)
19. All or Nothing – Juventus (Football)
20. Icarus (Cycling)

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