Pele escapes to victory – Vatan News
TEHRAN – Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele, died Thursday with cancer at a hospital in Sao Paulo at the age of 82. But death is not the end.
He was a legendary player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history.
How many time Pele was on target is a matter of debate, with most statisticians agreeing the number is between 1,281 and 1,283.
Pele traveled to Iran on May 5, 1972 and scored a hat-trick against Iran’s B team at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran, where Santos won the match 5-1.
Many Iranian football fans had fallen in love with the wizard, who had won FIFA World Cup three times in 1958, 1962, 1970.
As a child, I met Pele in the 80’s at a cinema in Tehran. He became my hero after his overhead kick in the ‘Escape to Victory’.
The plot involves prisoners of war preparing to face a German team in Paris amid their attempt to escape. Pele had the chance play with very different teammates – actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine.
Pele will always remain in football fans’ hearts.
