I was in Cameroon in 2016 where a local told me how he was one week selling cassava on a street stall and the next flying to the 1990 World Cup to face Maradona.
The way he told the story, the buoyancy in his eyes, near tears as he rejoiced, told me there was a film here.
Italia 90 was the most watched sports event in history. As 30 million people tuned in for the opening ceremony, the stage was set; Diego Maradona — the greatest player in history and architect of Argentina's 1986 triumph — was returning to Italy. In the opposition half that day: a rag-tag team of amateurs, most of whom were still playing barefoot in the dirt when Diego lifted the trophy four years earlier.
As Africa's only qualifying nation, Cameroon were expected to be tournament whipping boys. But against those odds, Roger Milla and his men captured the world's imagination and redefined what was possible for players across the continent, advancing further into the competition than any African team in history.
Green Lions captures the pivotal moments of that memorable summer and charts the stories of those players since.
The film is currently available on BBC iPlayer and the DAZN network.
Stills
