When Pelé Broke Sylvester Stallone's Finger

One of Hollywood's toughest actors had once written off soccer as a "sissy sport." Then Pelé and a few goalkeeping mishaps sent him to the hospital. This week, in the lead-up to the Academy Awards, we dive into the time Sylvester Stallone tried to stop a Pelé penalty kick while filming a movie. Plus, we remember the day DC United shook Real Madrid, examine Madonna’s connection to Celta Vigo, and more.

This week’s stories:

• 🦅 The Time DC United Scared Real Madrid

• 💃 Madonna Answers Celta Vigo’s Prayer

• ☝️ When Pelé Broke Sylvester Stallone's Finger

• 🎙️ Soccer Misadventures

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
The Time DC United Scared Real Madrid

Over the weekend, DC United broke their MLS attendance record with 72,026 fans turning up to watch the Black-and-Red take on Messi’s Inter Miami in Baltimore.

But, DC United has actually drawn an even bigger crowd before…

Back in 2009, 72,368 fans packed FedEx Field to catch DC United face Real Madrid. It was a pretty comfortable 3-0 win for Los Blancos, but did you know that there was one time DCU actually pulled off an insane result against the Galacticos?

Check out this amazing clash from 2006. You won’t believe it.

POP CULTURE
Madonna Answers Celta Vigo’s Prayer

This one was all over the news last week.

For years, Celta Vigo had been searching for the jersey Madonna wore during her concert at the club’s Balaidos Stadium back in 1990.

Finally, Celta got so desperate that they published an open letter to the American pop star asking if she still had it.

Well, on Saturday, Madonna responded.

COVER STORY
When Pelé Broke Sylvester Stallone's Finger

I’m sure we’ve all had this type of friend.

The one who scoffs at the beautiful game for being “soft”… until they finally step on the pitch.

And that’s kind of what happened with Sylvester Stallone when filming the iconic soccer film Escape to Victory.

The Hollywood actor was so unfamiliar with the beautiful game that he’d once called it a “sissy sport,” and on set, he’d even asked if his character could score the winning goal in the film, despite being a goalkeeper. It was an idea that was immediately dismissed.

Later on, though, Stallone humbly admitted that he’d arrogantly had no clue what he was getting himself into. The shoot ended up being both an eye-opening experience and a physically brutal affair for Stallone, even though he was already used to that sort of thing as the star of Rocky.

Believe it or not, while filming the movie, Stallone suffered two broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and then a broken finger—this last one thanks to Brazilian legend Pelé.

Here is how Stallone’s encounter with O Rei went on set, as told by the Hollywood actor himself:

"What a butt-kicking I got! I still have a broken finger from trying to block a penalty by Pelé. 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.' The ball still flew past me before I could move... He did it again, and it ripped through the back of the net and broke a window in the barracks where we were filming. I went, 'Are you kidding me? ' I found a new kind of respect."

It’s a pretty funny anecdote overall, and quite awesome that Stallone found a new respect for the beautiful game thanks to Pelé. Figured it was a cool story to bring up on Oscar week!

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

We’ll highlight your best answers next week!

LISTEN
Soccer Misadventures

Welcome to the first up-to-date edition of the CLUBELEVEN podcast, where we chat about all the misadventures and side quests that come from documenting the American soccer landscape!

In this week's update, Gabe and I talk about guest lecturing a Soccer Politics class at the University of Virginia, sharing jello shots with Manchester City fans in DC, and nearly coming face-to-face with a living, breathing bald eagle.

In Orlando, Justin begins bus renovations after watching Messi rip apart his childhood club, and Tyler helps launch Boston Legacy's secondary kit amidst another New England snowstorm.

Listen HERE.

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

New Mascots: Can you guess what inspired the new Louisville mascots? Amazing stuff!

Dropping by Morning Kickaround: It was an honor to get the invite to hop on live with the Morning Kickaround lads on Friday! We had a blast chatting about lower league soccer, our bus road trip, and the story of CLUBELEVEN. Huge thank you to Rob and Jason for having me on!

Banned for Life: This shocked the whole MLS world. These two players received lifetime bans on Monday.

Indoor Goal of the Year: It’s definitely up there! Might be one of the best indoor goals I’ve ever seen in the MASL.

NWSL Opening Weekend: It’s a huge occasion! Check out the schedule for NWSL opening weekend.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
USWNT Take Care of Business

Another tournament, another victory.

The USWNT under Emma Hayes continues to impress, and on Saturday, they managed to lift the SheBelieves Cup after defeating Colombia 1-0 in New Jersey.

Make that EIGHT SheBelieves Cup titles for the US, and a huge shoutout to Emily Sonnett for having played in all eleven editions of this tournament. Legend!

Here’s how it all looked on the ground.

LABOR
USL Players Protest

The 2026 USL Championship season kicked off this past weekend with league-wide player protests, as negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the USL Players Association (USLPA) continue to stall.

At the opening whistle of matches across the country, players stood motionless and silent for one minute.

“This is not symbolic,” the USLPA wrote on Instagram, “Negotiations have reached a decisive stage where players have to take a stand.”

Here is the latest info.

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you: What is your other main passion outside of soccer? Here are some of your answers:

• “Wouldn't say music is my passion but its the thing I dedicate the most time after soccer podcasts lol. Also can't be the only one to have done a 1h long session of official world cup songs? 😆 Right?” - Dario

• “Music for sure. It’s such a natural part of the game as well.” - Jose

In the poll, “Music” won with 54% of the vote, followed by “Art” with 27%.

I’m exactly the same way when it comes to music. And I’m proud to say, you’re not the only one, Dario, especially with the World Cup so close now!

UP NEXT
New England Adventures

This was the view the last time we went up to Vermont for an Open Cup game in 2024.

This weekend, we’ll be in Boston for the Legacy home opener, and then we’ll be making the trip further north for what very well could be the game of the century in New England.

Onwards!!

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Have a great Tuesday!

Pablo