Pelé shined brighter than anyone on the pitch, where he won three World Cups with Brazil, but he also had a prolific movie career that led him to star on ‘Escape to victory’ alongside another legend, Sylvester Stallone.
After his retirement, Pelé entered a phase where he explored different career paths, including a role in a film by the hand of director John Huston, which also featured stars like Max von Sydow, Michael Cane, and former player Bobby Moore.
The film takes place in 1942 during World War II, it’s based on the true story of an event known as “The Death Match,” which featured a team called FC Star that was founded by Ukrainian bakers Nikolai Trusevich and Josef Kordik to compete against the teams formed by the German Nazi armies.
The story of FC Star
FC Star’s success came thanks to a series of victories against teams formed by Germans and players from countries that were loyal to the Nazis. However, they faced their biggest obstacle after losing 5-1 to Luffwafe, a team made up of German military men and professional players.
FC Star, the team that inspired the film
After that unexpected loss, FC Star demanded a rematch, which took place on August 9th, 1942, and it was refereed by the Schutzstaffel, an elite squad formed by Adolf Hitler. The referee for the match actually suggested to Trusevich and Kordik that they should let their rivals win, but they didn’t listen, and they went on to win 5-3.
The Nazis couldn’t take the humiliation and the Ukrainians' insubordination, so they ordered their execution of the FC Star’s players after the match while they were wearing their uniforms, sparing only Fedir Tyutchev, Mikhail Sviridovskiy, and Makar Goncharenko, who spread the word about the massacre.
The differences with the movie
Unlike the true story, the characters played by Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone formed a successful team thanks to the participation of professional players such as Pelé, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, John Wark, Kazimierz Denya, Paul Van Himst, Mike Summerbee, Russell Osman and Soren Lindsted to defeat the Nazis, and they took advantage of the euphoric celebrations after the match get away, change their clothes and flee to avoid a horrific fate.
FC Star in the movie
What Sylvester Stallone remembers
In a 2014 interview with the BBC, Stallone recalled the experience of shooting a movie with Pelé, and the power of his shots even after he retired, which caused Stallone a broken finger.
“It was one of the lowest moments of my life. I got my ass handed to me. I got a broken finger for attempting to stop one of Pelé’s shots,” the star recalled. Stallone played the goalkeeper of the team.
Pelé and Stallone during the match
“They were wearing World War II cleats with a steel toe, and the ball was like a cannonball, twice as thick and heavy as today’s balls. He said, ``Look, I’ll score a goal, you stand here, and I’m going to kick the ball there,” and I thought: “It’s soccer, what’s the big deal? It’s easy.’ So he kicks first, and I hear the sound of the ball.”
“Ok, let’s go again, do it again. So I extended my hand, and I broke a finger. The ball tore through the net and broke the windows that were covered in barbed wire while we were shooting. I thought, ‘I’m never saying that again,” Stallone recalled.
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