Matty Cash, Peaky Blinders and channelling his inner Tommy Shelby: 'It changes a man'

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He is carrying the same stony-faced, menacing expression from his opening soliloquy. The shot widens to reveal his full garb. While his club-mates traipse from the bus in flip-flops and trainers, Cash is dressed from head to toe in Peaky Blinders attire; shiny shoes, black leather gloves, claret tie, grey waistcoat and, of course, the signature knee-length overcoat and newsboy cap. Over it all is playing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Red Right Hand. At the start of March, Cash flew to Poland, the country he represents, to shoot promotional videos for Netflix Poland’s release of The Immortal Man, a follow-up film from the Peaky Blinders series. Netflix approached Cash with the concept in mid-January, with the idea then developed over the next few months. The player’s representative, Two Touch agency, managed the project in collaboration with Cudo Studio, a Polish design company. The 28-year-old is an avid fan of the show and immediately wanted to be involved, although finding time to film was complex. It could not interfere with Cash’s schedule at Villa, who had embarked upon a frenzied run of matches. Alternatives were mooted, such as filming in England, but flying all the crew from Poland, and their associated visa requirements, would have added to the rigmarole. Ultimately, it was decided Cash would fly out on a Sunday, film what was required the next day and be back in Birmingham that evening. To save time, the production team used a body double in some scenes — particularly the one involving the horse — to prepare several shot sequences before Cash arrived on set. The nearly two-minute trailer, directed by Maciek Kowalczuk, came out on March 20, the same day the film was made available to stream, with Cash decked out as if he were the lead character, Tommy Shelby, played by Academy Award winner Cillian Murphy. Te sześć sezonów zmieniłoby każdego. „Peaky Blinders: Nieśmiertelny” już w Netflixie. 🕴️: @mattycash622 pic.twitter.com/9WiC3JMhd8 — Netflix Polska (@NetflixPL) March 20, 2026 Cash may have seemed an unlikely deputy for Murphy but for the Polish arm of Netflix, his presence made complete sense. With Peaky Blinders set in Birmingham, using a Poland international who played his club football for Villa, also based in the city, was too good an opportunity to turn down. The trailer swiftly gained traction online and has amassed more than one million views across Poland Netflix’s X and YouTube accounts. Cash qualifies to play for Poland through his mother, who was born in the United Kingdom but has Polish parents. He has earned 25 caps but narrowly missed out on playing in his second World Cup in the summer after Sweden defeated Poland on Tuesday evening, and is among the squad’s more recognisable names. Shortly after Poland Netflix dropped the trailer, another post did the rounds on social media. It showed a pub in Krakow with a tip jar reading, “Cash is King!”, with a picture of the player’s FIFA card stuffed inside When Cash arrived for international duty last month, a large painting was waiting on his bed, depicting him dressed as a Peaky Blinder and holding the reins of a white horse. It was a thank you for his involvement. The dichotomy between a dutiful, ever-improving but easy-going player and his part as a hard-nosed gangster was fun. He took family members with him on set, and the huge production value and 20-plus crew working on the trailer made for an unusual but extremely enjoyable experience. Since Peaky Blinders first aired on the BBC in 2013, it has been more readily associated with Birmingham City, currently in England’s second-tier Championship. But Villa Park played a role in Birmingham’s notorious gangs in the late 19th century. One story dates back to t, in which the father of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Lord Randolph, visited the Midlands heartlands. Lord Randolph was a member of parliament for the Conservative Party and was visiting a Liberal city. He had a large meeting arranged at the Lower Grounds — what is now Villa Park — yet, in fear of potential conflict with liberals marching outside, local Conservatives hired neighbourhood gangs to protect him. This provoked what became known as the Aston Riot, with nearby public houses wrecked and violent brawls ensuing. The series has lent a cinematic gangster attraction to the Peaky Blinders, yet the term itself was not one gang — as depicted in the show — but a generic expression from the late 19th century for the ‘street ruffians’ of Birmingham, born out of the city’s ring of poverty. They were called Peaky Blinders because, as Cash does in the trailer’s first shot, gangsters would wear the peak of their cap over one eye. They were cold, ruthless men who largely controlled the streets of Birmingham from the 1860s until the First World War. Cash’s shared appeal — at Villa, whom he joined in 2020 and has since played 217 games, and in Poland — served as one of several football advertising campaigns into which Netflix has leaned. Netflix has made concerted efforts in its marketing to use the sport, which it believes has a large crossover audience with Peaky Blinders. Resources have been put into major production value and cross-promotional initiatives with clubs and players around the globe. Possibly the most extravagant campaign was in collaboration with Atletico Madrid. The partnership comprised social media posts, trailers — which included cameos from captain Koke, Ademola Lookman and Antoine Griezmann, who impersonated Tommy Shelby’s “No fighting” line — all dressed as Peaky Blinders. The marketing efforts peaked on March 14, before and during Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 home win against Getafe. The club encouraged supporters to come dressed as a Peaky Blinder, both to transport them back to the Garrison Tavern — the pub where the Shelby family meet in the show — while being in with a chance to watch the game from a VIP box. The winners learned they had won through a Peaky Blinder approaching them outside the stadium and escorting them to the box. As The Athletic reported, Atletico’s players were also escorted to the ground and onto the pitch by a group of Peaky Blinders to “ensure their safety”. The promotion was understood to be a one-off agreement with Netflix, which paid the Spanish club to use their stadium, players, and social media channels to promote the film. Netflix France collaborated with Ousmane Dembele, titling an Instagram post “only a king recognises a king”, with the 2025 Ballon D’Or winner, like Cash, dressed in traditional Peaky Blinders attire. In Brazil, Tommy Shelby-inspired posters featured footballers Pedro Santos, Memphis Depay and Vitor Roque. Netflix Argentina made a trailer with Juan Sebastian Veron and a social media post with Carlos Tevez, as well as a shorter version featuring Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Otamendi. Germany was more adventurous, as Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin’s players wore newsboy caps and drank Guinness in a pub. Head coach Steffan Baumgart, a Peaky Blinders fan, was involved and attended the German premiere. A post shared by 1. FC Union Berlin (@1.fcunion) Fittingly, the UK premiere was in Birmingham. Villa had four players — Ezri Konsa, Jadon Sancho, Morgan Rogers and Tammy Abraham — posing on the red carpet. Manchester United defender Ayden Heaven also accepted an invitation. Cash’s acting debut ended with something of a flourish. Sitting on his white horse in the centre circle of a football stadium, he raises his head and, staring straight into the camera, concludes: “It will all come to this.” It was the type of solid performance you would expect from one of Villa’s most consistent performers, albeit one thrust out of his comfort zone and into one of football’s more creative and amusing marketing campaigns. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Jacob is a football reporter covering Aston Villa for The Athletic. Previously, he followed Southampton FC for The Athletic after spending three years writing about south coast football, working as a sports journalist for Reach PLC. In 2021, he was awarded the Football Writers' Association Student Football Writer of the Year. Follow Jacob on Twitter @J_Tanswell