Great soccer player Pele in Islamabad!

Monday, July 16, 2012 - Islamabad—Brazilian embassy Sunday chose “Pele Eterno” or “Pele Forever” as the last of the four documentaries screened from July 12 to July 15 for Pakistani viewers. It was a wise choice as all time great soccer player Pele is considered a “god of football” even in Pakistan. Lovers of the world’s most popular sport, fans of Pele, diplomats and notables of the town turned up at the embassy in F-8/4 to see their hero in action in 2 hours and five-minute documentary.

Pele scored more than 1200 goals in his career and was part of the squad that won the world title three times (1958, 1962 and 1970) for Brazil. The documentary shows us images from the 1950’s through the 1970’s and takes us back to a time when television sets were just appearing in living rooms throughout the world. Hence there is purity to his image that has remained steadfast throughout the documentary.

The documentary show that war in Africa stopped for a short time when he went to play in the Congo. Blond suburban soccer moms of the 1970s thank Pele for bringing soccer to the US. He’s starred in movies, written songs, served in government, and worked for various humanitarian causes. In short, there are no modern athletes that can really hold a torch to him. All the highlights of his life are chronicled in the documentary with focus however on the soccer.