There are certain athletes whose names transcend the sports that made them famous.
Think Ruth, Ali, Jordan and Gretzky. In soccer, before there was ever a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo, another South American globalized the game and showcased its beauty like no one before him. His name is Pele. Now, his journey from a shoeless sensation as a boy to Brazil's most profitable commodity (he was tapped a national treasure as a teenager to prevent European clubs from signing him) and biggest ambassador has been made into what appears to be an epic biopic.
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No player has scored more goals (1,281) or obtained more glory (he's the only player to win three world cups) than Pele.
The flick likely won't delve into it, but there's as much personal and political drama as professional success to explore as the producers try to pique a new audience's interest in the legend.
A notorious womanizer, Pele spawned multiple children by multiple women over the course of several marriages and affairs. He was investigated by the Brazilian military dictatorship and is constantly in the crucible of criticism from his countrymen for his political interests, or lack thereof. His fame has seldom waned, however. Blessed with a dazzling smile, he has a remained a star among stars. He has published several works chronicling his life and has appeared in myriad movies.
In the mid-1990s he was named Brazil's Extraordinary Minister of Sport. He endeavored to clean up the rampant corruption that had long been customary among his native land's clubs, only to be accused later of corruption himself. He resigned from the post.
Whether the film serves as a brief snapshot of one of the most iconic figures in the history of athletics or a journey through his entire life, it'll serve its purpose in introducing to many, and re-introducing others, a living legend.