Manchester City Players Attend Premiere of Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’
Amazon Prime Video premiered its original sports documentary series “All or Nothing: Manchester City” in Manchester, England Wednesday. The first episode of the series, which focuses on the English soccer champions, was screened in the presence of the whole Manchester City squad and its coach, Pep Guardiola, who previously coached Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Among those watching the series for the first time were global soccer stars Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne.
The series, which launches worldwide Friday, follows in the footsteps of the Emmy-winning “All or Nothing” NFL series, and subsequent shows that zeroed in on the New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, and college football team the Michigan Wolverines.
Before the first episode was shown, Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany was interviewed on-stage by BBC sports show host Gabby Logan. The Belgian star said he was feeling nervous as he waited to watch the documentary. “You don’t know what they are going to show. [The camera crew] were everywhere, all the time,” he said.
Kompany said after a while the players almost forgot the crew were there. “It took a while and then they blended in and we got to know [them], and from that moment onward they were almost a part of the team,” he said.
He said he didn’t put on an “act” in front of the cameras. “I can’t act. They were just there and then whatever came out, came out.”
Asked by Logan to identify something that would come as a surprise for viewers from the series, he said: “If it comes across the way I think it should then they will realize we were a crazy bunch of guys, and at the same time that we had fun – a lot of fun – and worked hard.”
One of the hallmarks of the “All or Nothing” series is the unrestricted access it provides viewers behind the scenes. Kompany said that rival teams would be able to see Manchester City’s secrets. “The cameraman was there everywhere. [The series] has probably got every game plan we’ve ever had, so we’ll need to adapt.” The cameraman followed their every step. “If you were having breakfast he was there. If you were having a shower he was there.”
The series is narrated by Ben Kingsley and directed by Barcelona native Manuel Huerga, who previously shot feature film “Salvador,” about a Catalan anarchist executed by the Spanish dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Guardiola is well-known for his support for Catalan independence from Spain.
“All or Nothing: Manchester City” is a collaboration between Mediapro, Prime Video, Manchester City, IMG, and Film45.
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