Which footballers did Pele play alongside in Escape to Victory?

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Escape to Victory team has become a commonly searched term on Google after Pele sadly passed away at the age of 82.

Aside from making the game of football look simple, Pele also dabbled in acting as he and a number of other professional footballers joined the likes of Sylvester Stallone in the iconic movie.

So, what was the Escape to Victory team? Let’s take a look…

Escape to Victory team

Well, the star-studded film was based on a true story involving prisoners of war captured by the Nazis.

The prisoners were challenged to a football match by their captors, and were told – lose and be set free in Switzerland, or win and face the firing squad. They won, and were consequently shot.

The sports-war film, directed by John Huston, managed to attract some of the planet’s greatest footballers to sign up for the project.

Thanks to Midfield Dynamo, you can see the full Escape to Victory team below, with those who acted out the roles written in brackets.

1. Robert Hatch, USA (Sylvester Stallone)
2. Michel Fileu, Belgium (Paul Van Himst)
3. Captain John Colby, England (Michael Caine)
4. Pieter Van Beck, Netherlands (Co Prins)
5. Doug Clure, England (Russell Osman)
6. Terry Brady, England (Bobby Moore)
7. Arthur Hayes, Scotland (John Wark)
8. Carlos Rey, Argentina (Osvaldo Ardiles)
9. Sid Harmor, England (Mike Summerbee)
10. Luis Fernandez, Brazil (Pele)
11. Erik Ball, Denmark (Søren Lindsted)

Substitutes:

• Paul Wolchek, Poland (Kazimierz Deyna) – came on for Arthur Hayes
• Gunnar Hilsson, Norway (Hallvar Thoresen) – came on for Pieter van Beck
• Tony Lewis, Ireland (Kevin O’Callaghan) – injured, broken arm

Footballers in escape to victory

• Pele
• Bobby Moore
• Mike Summerbee
• Osvaldo Ardiles
• Paul Van Himst
• Kazimierz Deyna
• Hallvar Thoresen
• Co Prins
• Søren Lindsted
• Wener Roth
• Russell Osman
• John Wark
• Kevin O’Callaghan
• Laurie Sivell

What football ground was used in Escape to Victory?

The movie starring Pele was filmed at the Hungária körúti stadion in Budapest, Hungary.

It was chosen to portray the Stade Yves-du-Manoir, based in Paris, France.