"Pelé", a documentary to review on the magnificence and complexity of the "king" of football
Brazilian Pelé during the 1966 World Cup. Mondadori via Getty Images - Mondadori Portfolio
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
5 mins
The
Pelé
documentary , dedicated to the football legend who died on December 29, 2022, is still available on the Netflix platform.
During 1 hour 48, it retraces the exploits but also the difficulties of the Brazilian superstar, from his youth to the 1970 World Cup.
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Pelé moves with difficulty using a walker.
The one who is described as the greatest footballer of all time settles down with difficulty on an uncomfortable chair, in the middle of a vast dull and unadorned room.
This is where the “King” – his nickname – testifies for
this Netflix documentary
to an extraordinary story: from his modest but happy childhood to his third World Cup title in 1970.
“
At the time, I no longer wanted to be Pelé
, he slips, his face veiled by a mixture of anxiety and sadness.
I no longer wanted this role.
I prayed
: '
My God, help me, this is my last World Cup'”.
A carefree youth
A speech that contrasts with the candor of the young Edson Arantes do Nascimento, born in 1940 in the south-east of Brazil.
Times are tough but he is then full of energy.
“
We were poor but we could work
”, explains the one whose father, an amateur footballer, does not always manage to make ends meet.
No matter, the future Pelé shines and shines shoes to help his family financially.
The father, who detects all the potential of his son, takes him one day to take a test at Santos FC.
The beginnings in 1957 with this club, which he will lead to the heights, are then devastating.
A few months later, Pelé was called up to the national team, then called up for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
"
I didn't know then that there were other countries
," laughs the octogenarian.
A global icon
During the tournament, Pelé chained the exploits: a decisive goal in the quarter-final against Wales, a hat-trick against France in the semi-finals, then a double against Sweden in the final.
Here he is world champion at 17 years old.
The kid, in tears, is carried in triumph by his older partners.
He became the superstar that Brazil needed after the huge failure of the 1950 World Cup at home, experienced as a national tragedy.
“
Thanks to him, the Brazilians loved each other again
”, slips an observer.
“
He has become the symbol of Brazilian emancipation
,” adds musician Gilberto Gil.
In 1962, the euphoria was at its height.
Even if the prodigy is injured at the start of the World Cup, the Brazilian selection retains its title.
The country emerges, industrializes and then believes in its future.
In parallel, the rise in Brazil of television accompanies a Pelé, radiant, solar.
A troubled time
But in 1964, a military coup established dictatorship in Brazil.
“
Football continued as before, evacuates a Pelé, still uncomfortable today.
In any case, for me, it has not changed anything
.
The interested party decides to keep his eyes on the ball to avoid any problem and enjoy an exceptional international reputation for the time.
However, outside the field, the player is not always at the party.
His first marriage is not a success and he multiplies the infidelities, as he confesses.
In 1966, during the World Cup, he was expected at the turn in England.
Assaulted on the pitch, Pelé and the Seleçao left the competition in the first round.
Tired and worn out prematurely, the number 10 wants to end his international career, at only 25 years old.
In Brazil, the situation is also worsening.
In 1968, the dictatorship took measures that further violated fundamental freedoms.
Arrests, torture and disappearances are becoming commonplace.
Pelé prefers to stay in a bubble.
Asked in the documentary about his links with the various successive governments, the former player curls up in defense, he who was then almost untouchable.
At that time, some Brazilians end up resenting him for not taking a stand.
They draw a parallel with the American boxer Mohamed Ali, one of the other great athletes of the 20th century, who refused to fight in Vietnam.
“
I am absolutely certain that I have done more for Brazil with my football, being myself, than many politicians paid to do so.
“, he assures.
The king's return
The 1970 World Cup is approaching and Emilio Medici's dictator makes an obsession of it.
Local authorities put pressure on Pelé to come out of his reserve.
Torn, he ends up accepting.
Preparation for the tournament proved difficult, however, as he did not get along with the fiery coach João Saldanha.
Médici ends up having the turbulent coach fired, who leaves his place to Mario Zagallo, ex-teammate of Pelé.
During the World Cup in Mexico, the latter saw a renaissance, multiplying the gestures of genius, while it was announced on the decline.
Shortly before a final broadcast in mondovision, the "King" burst into tears, overwhelmed by emotion.
Against Italy, he scored with a header and his team won 4-1.
Pelé becomes the only player to have won three World Cups, a record that still stands.
“
The greatest gift of a victory is not the trophy.
It is the relief
”, concludes however this star at its twilight.
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