May 08, 2008

Substitute:  England won't be at Euro 2008, but neither will Frenchman Vikash Dhorasoo. Despite playing in every qualification match for the 2006 World Cup, Dhorasoo got just 16 minutes on the field during the tournament and retired from international football following France's defeat in the final. A year later he was gone from the game altogether.

Tomorrow the film Dhorasoo shot at the 06 World Cup, "Substitute" [Youtube] (warning: contains French), is released in the UK allowing you to watch a man fall out of love with football.

posted by Mr Bismarck to soccer at 12:02 PM - 4 comments

Wow. That looks interesting. I wouldn't mind seeing that.

posted by chicobangs at 12:10 PM on May 08, 2008

The trailer in the BBC article makes it look rubbish, but the Youtube clip looks much better. I love sporting documentaries like this - real candid, fly-on-the-wall film-making rather than the more staged talking-head stuff you usually see. I will definitely check this out.

posted by afx237vi at 03:59 PM on May 08, 2008

I remember when he was being hailed as one of the next big things in French football. I used to play with a Mauritian guy who told me to look out for him. Seems like yesterday, but the article says he's now 34. To quote chico in another recent thread, tempus fugit. Like the rest of us, he might benefit from a year off, and then qualify for his local over 35s league.

posted by owlhouse at 07:12 AM on May 09, 2008

"I love sporting documentaries like this - real candid, fly-on-the-wall film-making rather than the more staged talking-head stuff you usually see. " Me too. I'm, (perhaps overly), fascinated with this side of sports. I'm interested to see someone in what could be considered a "dream job" just get tired of doing it. I'd kill for the chance to wear the same number 8 pulled on by Marius Trésor, but here's a guy with a 18 international caps and a very succesful club career and in the space of four weeks he just ran out of energy for the game.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:41 PM on May 09, 2008

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