An arrogant football star gets an unexpected lesson in the mental side of the game from one of his fans in this comedy from Germany. Hans Pollak (Uwe Ochsenknecht) is an unemployed factory worker who drives a cab part time to bring in some money. Hans is also a committed football fan, and he is so loyal to his favorite team, Schalke 04, that he puts up his house as collateral on a bet that Schalke will win their next game -- and that their star player, Pablo (Oscar Ortega Sanchez), will pull out of his losing streak and kick a goal for the team. What Hans and his friends don't know is that Pablo couldn't care less about the team or the game; he's soon to be traded to an Italian franchise who will pay him more money, and he's too wrapped up in his ego and his cocaine habit to bother with anyone else. Hans and his buddies meet Pablo in a bar and are angered by his cavalier attitude; when Pablo stumbles into Hans' taxi later that night, they get into an argument and Hans knocks him out. While Pablo sleeps it off on Hans' couch, Hans and his friends decide to give him a crash course in the importance of teamwork and a winning attitude, to the anger of the hung-over athlete and the puzzlement of Hilde (Marita Marschall), Hans' wife, who doesn't know about her husband's wager. Marita Marschall's performance in Fussball Ist Unser Leben earned her the Best Supporting Actress prize at the 2000 Bavarian Film Awards.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide