Matthews

Nicknamed "The Wizard of the Dribble", Stanley Matthews remains the greatest English footballer of all time. The first player to be knighted and among the earliest to profit from product endorsements, he helped bring the game into the modern era before retiring at the age of 50. Ryan Scott Warren's documentary could easily have run another 15 minutes to provide a few more statistics about Matthews's dual stints at Stoke City and his time at Blackpool, for whom he appeared in three FA Cup Finals before winning his long-cherished medal in a remarkable 4-3 victory over Bolton Wanderers in 1953. More might also have been said about his pioneering fitness regime, his England career, his all-star testimonial in 1965 and his enduring popularity with fans nationwide. But Warren creditably devotes considerable time to "Stan's Men", an all-black team in Soweto that he formed at the height of apartheid oppression. Full of glorious newsreel footage, this is affectionate, engaging and well overdue.