Streets of glory

A host of cameras are trained on Micheal Ward as he dribbles a football past a couple of challenges with footwork that wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League.

- PAUL JONES, SEAN MARLAND

TV&Satellite Week has been invited on to the set of new Netflix movie The Beautiful Game, and after watching the Top Boy actor film his latest project on an artificial pitch in east London, it’s easy to understand why he dreamt of turning professional as a youngster.

Instead, Ward chose a career on the screen, and this week he leads an impressive cast – including Bill Nighy and Callum Scott Howells – in this feel-good movie about the England homeless football team’s journey to the Homeless World Cup in Rome.

‘I played at a decent level,’ says Ward during a break in filming. ‘But when I realised I wasn’t going to be a pro footballer, I stopped and I didn’t play again until we started preparing for this film. We went to boot camp to work on our skills and I realised how much I missed it.’

OVERCOMING STIGMA

The story follows Ward’s character, talented but troubled striker Vinny, whose obvious skill is noticed by Mal (Nighy), the England homeless football team’s coach, who dreams of leading a group of struggling players to glory at that summer’s tournament.