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| Soccer great Pele, with Sylvestory Stallone, at left, and Michael Caine, at right, in the 1981 film "Escape to Victory". Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083284/ (May be subject to copyright) |
The first time I saw Pele was actually on a different kind of soccer pitch – in a German prisoner of war camp in the Second World War. It was in the movie “Escape to Victory”.
It was the first time I ever saw a player jump up, kick the ball backwards over his head and into the net. Called a “bicycle kick”, it was pioneered by Pele.
Although I never saw him play, his reputation preceded him. Pele was one of those athletes who transcended his sport.
Pele retired from soccer before I ever had a chance to see him play. However, when I was a kid, I learned a great deal about him from two primary sources of information – the school library and the school bus.
The whole world mourned when Pele died late last year. It brought back memories of when I first heard about the Brazilian soccer great.
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| Soccer great Pele, in his time in Brazil. Source: https://www.the-sun.com/ sport/7014208/pele-dead-82- brazil-cancer-football/ (May be subject to copyright) |
It seemed my friend Mike was a year ahead of me watching sports. He knew more about the CFL, NFL, and soccer. He had six older siblings, and I think he got some of that from his brothers.
The rest he got from library books. He would tell me about one athlete or another, one sport or another, then show me the book he read. They were always from the library at St. Joseph’s School in Coaldale. Invariably, I always signed them out later.
One day, it may have been the lead up to the World Cup, or it might just have been the book Mike was reading, but he was telling me about the greatest soccer player who ever played.
He said his name several times, and I just didn’t quite understand it.
Only when we had to go to the library to take out a book for our USSR – Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading, did I find that book Mike was referring to, and I signed it out.
In that book I finally saw it.
The greatest soccer player's name was – Pele.
Boy from Brazil
The book talked about how he was born in a poor village in Brazil with the name Edson Arantes do Nascimento. He was taught to play soccer by his father, usually with a sock stuffed with newspaper and tied with string. He played for several amateur teams before turning pro with Santos in 1956, at the age of 15. He would play with with Santos until 1974 when he retired from the Brazilian club.
He also took Brazil to international success, winning the World Cup of Soccer in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He played much of the 1966 World Cup injured due to persistent and brutal fouls by his opponents.
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| Soccer great Pele, in his time with the New York Cosmos, of the North American Soccer League. Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/ brazilian-soccer-legend-pel-dead-82/story?id=27220479 (May be subject to copyright) |
Pele still wanted to grow the game of soccer, which he dubbed “The Beautiful Game”. Consequently, he came out of retirement in 1975 to play for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.
He played three seasons with the Cosmos, taking them to the 1977 Soccer Bowl in his third and final season, with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders.
Pele played his final game on Oct. 1, 1977. It was an exhibition match at Giants Stadium between his two club teams – Santos and the New York Cosmos. Fittingly, he played the first half with the Cosmos and the second half with Santos. New York won 2-1, with Pele scoring his last goal ever, for the Cosmos on a free kick.
He finished his career with 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil, and 643 goals in 659 games for Santos. He also had 66 goals in 107 appearances for the New York Cosmos.
In total, including friendly or exhibition matches, he scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which according to Wikipedia is a Guiness Book world record.
Victory
“Escape to Victory” was made in 1981, and caught my attention immediately. I first read about the movie in Marquee magazine, which came free at the movie theatre, featuring movie previews.
“Escape to Victory” was made in 1981, and caught my attention immediately. I first read about the movie in Marquee magazine, which came free at the movie theatre, featuring movie previews.
I had to wait for a couple years until it came to peasant vision but I remember watching it one Sunday night on the farm.
“Escape to Victory” is like “The Longest Yard” meets “Hogan’s Heroes”. It is set in a German prisoner of war camp where the Germans attempt to use an exhibition match between German guards and prisoners as a huge propaganda stunt.
The prisoners are led by Michael Caine, who agrees to the match because it will be held in German-occupied Paris. Sylvestor Stallone arrives as a brash American who, in his first practice, starts tackling everyone for the ball because the only football he knows is American football. He also intends to use the game as an attempt to escape, and that’s when the fun really starts
Pele plays one of the other prisoners, and gets to show off his amazing skills in the culminating match in Paris. Other soccer stars also appear in the movie such as Bobby Moore, Hallvar Thoresen and many others.
Parting thoughts
The whole world mourned when Pele died. He had not only been one of the best players in history but, like Wayne Gretzky in hockey, grew his game in the United States. Pele was always an ambassador for the game, and shared his passion with the world.
The whole world mourned when Pele died. He had not only been one of the best players in history but, like Wayne Gretzky in hockey, grew his game in the United States. Pele was always an ambassador for the game, and shared his passion with the world.
Even in a movie focused more on intrigue and cloak and dagger, his personality and soccer skills shone through, highlighted by that patented bicycle kick.
That was the magic of Pele.
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