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“Escape to Victory” is a 1981 film about a group of Allied prisoners of war during World War II. They’re assigned to play an exhibition football match against the German team, and one of the most intriguing aspects of the film is that it stars real-life footballers as the players. There’s also sufficient star power in the form of Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine, but arguably, it’s Pelé who steals the show.
Years later, Stallone recalled one particular interaction with the football legend where he ended up with a broken finger. The actor related, “What a butt-kicking I got! I still have a broken finger from trying to block a penalty by Pelé” (via Fox Sports). Apparently, Stallone didn’t think trying to block a kick from the greatest footballer in the world would hurt so much, but he went on to elaborate, “He put on a pair of World War II shoes, which were steel-tipped, and the ball was like a cannonball — it was twice as thick and heavy as footballs are today. He was telling me he was going to take a shot and I thought ‘It’s soccer, what’s the big deal? It’s easy.'”
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Unfortunately, blocking a kick from Pelé is nowhere near as easy as he should’ve imagined. Pelé called his shot and put the ball exactly where he said it would go. He kicked the ball again; this time, it ripped through the net and broke a window. Stallone may be experienced in the boxing ring at this point, but it looks like he still had a thing or two to learn about soccer.
