Iconic movie GOAL is still helping Newcastle United in the transfer market 15 years after it's release, proving it's the GOAT of football movies.
Since it was released in 2005, GOAL has proved a secret weapon when it comes to convincing players to move to Tyneside.
Miguel Almiron is the latest player to embody the spirit of Santiago Munez and he certainly won't be the last.
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Current Toon midfielder Isaac Hayden has previously revealed Munez's rise to stardom was one of his favourite movies when growing up.
He told the Northern Echo back in 2016:
"I loved it. I was a mad keen football fan, I watched it all the time, and of course St James' Park featured heavily in it.
"I remember thinking, 'Wow, that must be a great place to play and score goals'.
"I suppose I've always felt a connection with the club ever since. I don't know the last time I watched the film, but those memories stuck."
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"Now I can say I've scored a goal at the same end as Santiago!"
Hayden is proof of how influential the movie is in England, but it's reach has been worldwide.
Former striker Papiss Cisse once said 'it makes people want to play for Newcastle' after watching the movie on DVD following his arrival in 2012.
A slew of other players have also confessed their love for the movie, such as Jonas Gutierrez and Islam Slimani, who had seen the film as teenagers in Argentina and Algeria respectively.
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Regardless of which players remember the movie, football fans around the world will Munez scoring THAT last-minute free-kick to send Newcastle into the Champions League.
The movies cult status is something that's brought a smile to co-writer Adrian Butchart's face.
"I think at the time we knew that we were involved in something special but none of us really saw how long it was going to go on for and how much it was going to influence people," he told ChronicleLive.
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"There is that shot, which I feel is one of the iconic shots of Goal!, that we used quite a lot in trailers which is when Santiago first runs onto the pitch to play for Newcastle and he gets to the middle and he looks very emotional.
"The camera goes 360 around him and you see the stadium full of fans behind him, and I think for us that sums up everything about his relationship with the club and everything he's done to get there."
It's a truly remarkable tale about one of football's most iconic movies.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football, Goal, Newcastle United
