Kenny Dalglish: A Football Documentary to Make You Think and Feel
- Antony Cirocco
- Jun 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 9
Film Title: “Kenny Dalglish”
Dir: Asif Kapadia
Release Date: October 29, 2025
Review by Antony Cirocco
For those who don’t know, this film is about more than football. Kenny Dalglish was more than Football and Director Asif Kapadia has forged a sterling career bringing emotion to sport. The last time Asif turned his attention to sport was a documentary about Diego Maradona, which was excellent; this one is better. Kenny Dalglish had a stellar career as a footballer from the streets of Glasgow. Selected young for Celtic, he went on to play for Liverpool, and his career went from strength to strength. He was also the Captain and Coach of Liverpool at one point…and then disaster hit...
There are other football documentaries about modern players and teams for example Together: Treble Winners the story of the resurrection of Manchester City starring Pep Guardiola (Coach) and Erling Harlaand (Striker) but this like others are different, they are paid for by the club and so there is a natural conflict of interest baked into the editorial policy, it will always show only the good virtue of the club and the players, it hides anything negative. Kapadia doesn’t shy away from difficult storytelling. He holds the mirror up when the story of Kenny and Liverpool is at its darkest hour, and the result is a compelling emotional story with soul.
The story is ostensibly about Kenny, his life, family and career but it goes to much darker places of sorrow and sadness, and it’s there where we see the true strength of community, culture, history and yes, football.
This is an excellent film for everyone, for fans of football, but also for fans of human drama. It’s also a story about the strength of purpose and the strength of leadership in difficult times. It shows the struggles of working-class folk in Scotland and England during the oppressive Thatcher regime, it pulls punches, ti doesn’t hold back.
English born, football fan, Kapadia approached Dalglish at a Football Match and pitched the film to him there and then on the spot, thank god he did. Kapdia’s love for football goes back to his childhood, as someone who had a poster of the Liverpool Squad on his wall.
With the World Cup knocking, this documentary is predominantly old news. What it does show us is that the dominance of football worldwide is not an accident and not a trend, it’s more than sport, it’s a culture with roots that reach decades into the past and in some cases, like Liverpool FC 134 years old. For context, the Liverpool Football Club is older than the capital city of Australia, Canberra, by 21 years at 134 years old. Kenny also played for Celtic, founded in 1888. So is watching football, just watching a sport? Or is it a deeply ingrained cultural experience that matters to the people emersed in its cultural embrace…for decades, sometimes over a century.
The film is purely archival; there are interviews, but they are voices only, which is great, as there is ample archival footage to view, and it’s the grainy archival film and video that gives this film its texture and depth. It’s a window into the past, and for most of the film, it’s magnetic; it draws you in to a time where the organic experience of life and visceral responses to success were the norm. Where characters were less polished by PR consultants and media trainers. It’s organic.
Kapia is an effective Director; he is the difference between a good story and a story well told. In this case, as in “Senna” (2010) and the “Diego Maradona” (2019) Kapdia looks at not just the individual but the social fabric that makes up the individual, the politics and the socio economic status of the community surrounding Dalglish are what makes him who he is, they lift him up, he’s a hero to them and they pivot to the establishment and collectively flip them the two fingers because this rebellion is what makes them stronger.
The editing is excellent, as a former documentary editor, I know that working with multiple source formats presents its challenges, but the director here, also a former editor, has used this format diversity to weave a fabric that is dynamic, textural and immersive.
This film could have been a one-eyed celebration of the greatest Scottish Footballers of all time. You could also argue that Kapadia, being a lifelong supporter of the club, is possibly unable to separate the boy in him who adored Liverpool from the unbiased Documentary Maker who is there to hold a mirror up to the subject and show them what he sees. Kapadia, to his credit, holds true to his professional values, and while the story is a personal and intimate portrayal of his childhood idle and club, there are moments in this film that a lesser director would have shied away from, buried, or swept under the digital carpet. Kapdia chose not to look away, and this is the moment when a good football documentary becomes great, in that moment, this football story becomes great, one that will be watched again and again in the future, where other documentaries will be forgotten.
This film is about more than football; it’s about success, friendship, community and leadership. It’s all implied thou, the audience needs to weave their truth together by witnessing the film and making their point of view, on that level, it is excellent.
Ultimately, this film is about strength, strength of character, strength under pressure and strength of community. Kenny Dalglish embodies all of those things; he is a modern hero, he’s real.
This film is worth your time; it’s gritty, real, fun, endearing and difficult to watch. I walked away from this film more informed about Dalglish’s career and his legacy. I used to see him as the captain coach when watching “Game of the Week” on the ABC here in Australia. It’s a name I knew well. He coached and played alongside Australian Craig Johnston, who inspired a generation of Australians. Craig Johnstone, under Dalglish’s leadership, is the reason Football in Australia has 3,300 clubs; it is the most dominant sport regarding participation, thanks to Dalglish and Johnstone. Johnstone's contribution to Australian Football has never been celebrated at a national level outside of football.
This film is a personal portrait of Dalglish’s life, which will not be forgotten. This film is different, in its emotional tenor, the legitimacy of Dalglish’s success and the impact he had on the culture of Liverpool, the UK and the world of Football.
If you are not a football fan, watch this film for the drama. Bring your tissues, it’s emotional. If you are a football fan, this will be the most exciting documentary you will see this year and great preparation for the 2026 World Cup.
This is a great documentary, 4.5 out of 5
Review by Antony Cirocco
"Kenny Dalglish" Documentary Trailer on YouTube here -
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