You’ll go a long way to find anything better.
As the World Cup enters the knockout stages, and England prepare to face Colombia, streaming service ESPN Player has now made the incredible The Two Escobars available to watch for free.
Granted, there’s no World Cup football on this evening and if you’re not watching a League of Ireland match, this is the perfect way to fill the football void because in our view, it’s the best sports documentary of the decade.
ESPN’s 30 for 30 series is rightfully regarded as the best in the sporting business – their documentary about the Loughinisland shooting that’s set against the backdrop of Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland is amazing – but in our view, The Two Escobars is their best work.
Ok, what’s it about?
At a time when drug money fuelled the sport known in the underworld as ‘Narco-soccer’, the fates of Andrés Escobar, the inspirational captain of Colombia, and Pablo Escobar, the notorious leader of the Medellin cartel, were permanently linked.
As you may know, Andrés Escobar captained Colombia’s 1994 World Cup team but after scoring an own-goal against the US, he was gunned down 10 days later.
Clip via –DocumentaryTrailers
The tragic murder of Escobar transcended the football field and shook the country to its very core because after he was gunned down, Colombia lost a lot more than just a game of football.
While rival drug cartels warred in the streets and the country’s murder rate climbed to highest in the world, Colombia’s national team set out to blaze a new image for their country. That image was tarnished by the senseless and horrific murder of Escobar.
Through the glory and the tragedy, The Two Escobars investigates the secret marriage of crime and sport, and uncovers the surprising connections between the murders of Andrés and Pablo.
Truthfully, it’s one of the best things you’ll watch and if you’ve never seen it before, you can watch it in full here.
