Superstar Pelé unfortunately passed away at the age of 82 after a battle with colon cancer. With the news confirmed by his daughter, the sport of Football has faced a huge loss today as the legend was known for his great accomplishments and overall was one of the most respected players in the world. Known as the grand ambassador for it too, it’s safe to say that Pelé will go down in history as one of the biggest players. Pele Dies at 82: Here's How You Can Watch 'Pele - Birth of a Legend', Film on Brazil Football Legend's Life, Online.

While Pelé was known for his Football career, the star had quite the resume in films as well. Appearing in cameos and having short roles here and there, Pelé certainly had a penchant for appearing in the movies, however, his biggest role came when starring alongside Sylvester Stallone in the film Escape to Victory. So, with the passing of this Football legend, let’s take a look back at his appearance in the film and see what his role in it was.

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Exploring Pelé’s Role in Escape to Victory

 

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Pelé starred as Corporal Luis Fernandez in Escape to Victory. The film saw Allied Prisoners of War partake in a football match against a German team while being interned in prison camps during the Second World War, which was inspired by the real-life Death Match of 1942. With a star cast that had Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine in it, the Football superstar starred along some of Hollywood’s finest.

The role for Pelé came right after his retirement from the sport which saw director John Huston approach him with the idea of the film. While the role itself was not too big, Pelé had a huge opportunity to showcase his football skills in an impressive scene. The scene itself was a match that saw the English and American soldiers’ team up to take on the German team, and with Pelé’s Fernandez hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, the Allies were definitely glad to have him on their team.

A Scene From the Film Featuring Pelé:

However, this is not the only role Pelé would ever go on to play. Appearing in films like A Marcha, A Minor Miracle and the comedy Hotshot, Pelé certainly had fun being an actor. Commenting that he had a lot of fun on the set of Escape to Victory, its not hard to imagine that the football legend would have wanted to star in more films. Pele Dies at 82, Brazil Declares Three Days of Mourning for Football Legend.

With Pelé’s death, the football industry has definitely lost a huge part of it, however, his legacy will forever live on, and we will never forget the great plays he always gave us. Rest in peace, Pelé.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2022 01:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).