Pelé

Pelé (2021) is a documentary you can watch online on iFILM, directed by David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas, tracing Edson Arantes do Nascimento's path from an unknown kid in the interior of São Paulo state to the figure who became Brazil's most recognisable export. Rare archival footage is combined with exclusive interviews with Pelé and the teammates who played alongside him.

The film threads his career through three decades of political upheaval: victories at three World Cups — in '58, '62, and '70 — set against military dictatorship, civil unrest and the struggle over what Brazil should look like. Zagallo, Amarildo, and Rivelino speak on camera, as do singer Gilberto Gil and former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

What the directors are really after is the gap between athlete and myth — how a man who scored goals became a national pressure valve at a moment when Brazil needed something to hold onto. Stream Pelé (2021) online on iFILM.