Pelé Forever

The documentary tells Pelé's life in order: a poor childhood in the Brazilian countryside, joining Santos at sixteen, playing in the 1958 World Cup at seventeen, and becoming the only footballer to win three of them. Goals, moves and match footage are given in chronological order. In between, former team-mates, opponents, his family and well known figures of the period speak. The film, directed by Anibal Massaini Neto, was made with Pelé's own participation and is openly a celebration; there is no point looking for criticism or for contested subjects here. Pelé's relationship with Brazilian politics, his time as a minister, and part of what has been written about him are absent. Against that, the archive footage is rich and some of it had rarely been shown before. Two hours and two minutes. It is watchable even for someone who does not follow football.