Anelka Misunderstood Review: Anelka Misunderstood covers Anelka’s globetrotting career from the suburbs of Paris to the suburbs of Mumbai (for Mumbai City FC within the India Super League). The career of Nicholas Anelka, arguably France’s most enigmatic striker, is defined by two controversial incidents. Second, when Raymond Domenech, Managing Director of France, reportedly raped and was sent to South Africa during the 2010 World Cup.
The second was about being labeled anti-Semitic for his quenelle salute celebrating a goal for an English club, West Brom in 2013. The documentary starts with Anelka in Dubai enjoying the quiet life together with his family and goes back to Anelka growing up in Trappes, near Paris.
He describes his childhood as enjoyable. Anelka: Misunderstood follows his career from joining Paris Saint-Germain at 16 to his move to Arsenal, Real Madrid, his return to Paris-Saint Germain, playing for Liverpool on loan, Manchester City and Chelsea.
His forays into coaching (he was player-manager for Shanghai Shenhua and Mumbai FC) and managerial stints aren’t touched upon. within the film, a former team-mate, Thierry Henry, says, “For me, there’s a world of difference between what people consider Nico, and Nico himself.” this is often essentially true of anybody, what people consider you are most frequently very different from what you think that of yourself and what you’re.
Of course, once you are a phenomenally talented and successful footballer, the stakes change drastically. Anelka speaks candidly of the various charges against him — of being too keen on money, of the supposed anti-Semitism within the quenelle gesture he made after scoring during a match in 2013, and therefore the altercation with a coach, Raymond Domenech, during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which cost him his international career.
With some great material and many massive talking points, Anelka: Misunderstood may be a fascinating and interesting film. It’s a documentary that touches on the highs and lows of a misunderstood player shrouded in controversy for much of his career. Whether you’re a football fan or not, Anelka: Misunderstood is well worth a watch.