Q&A with Pelé

Sports Illustrated Associate Editor Richard Deitsch recently interviewed Pel� for the magazine's weekly Q&A. The 64-year-old is the subject of Pel� Eterno, which made its U.S. premiere at New York's Museum of Modern Art earlier in July. Here are additional excerpts from the interview:

SI: The film begins, "The most famous man in the entire world is the Brazilian Pel�." Do you feel that's true? Pel�: No, I don't feel it. I am sure! Pel� is connected with the biggest sport in the world. Football is the biggest family in the world.

SI: Are there players today who remind you of you? Pel�: There are a lot of good players I like to see. [ France's Zinedine] Zidane. He is a most excellent player. Someone a little younger I love is [ Brazil's] Ronaldinho. People don't pay attention to defenders so I like to see [Alessandro] Nesta, the quarterback from Italy. Excellent player. [ Brazil's] Kak�, too.

SI: Tell us about your time with Freddy Adu. Pel�: I did a commercial with Freddy Adu in America last year. Technically, he is an excellent player. I don't know what will happen in the future. He is very young. But he has a great future, no doubt.

SI: Have you enjoyed getting older? Pel�: Fortunately, I have health. I try to be in shape. I tease my friend [Franz] Beckenbauer. Last month he turned 60. I give a message to him: "Beckenbauer, don't worry, 60 doesn't have no pain." Life does not change. I am a guy who has a lot of thanks to God. I have health, I have five grandchildren. But I have to talk about the age. I have a joke about it. I was born in a small town called Three Hearts. So I tell everybody: I am a man of three hearts. That means I'm going to last 200 years. Be prepared to follow me.

SI: Do you miss playing? Pel�: I miss when I see the World Cup or a tournament like the Confederations Cup. But I train with the youth in Santos. I help to select the best players. I have a small school there. I have 400 kids and two times a week go there and training and teach. It's soccer camp. This makes me pass time.

SI: You call this documentary your bible. How did the film come about? Pel�: I participated in others film before. I did Victory with Sylvester Stallone, but this biography I call my bible because the new generation, they get all the life of Pel� -- not only the football, not only the goals. They have the family and all the problems with the family and outside of football. This is the most important in this film.

SI: If you were playing today, could you have still stayed in Brazil for your career? Pel�: This is a matter of position or money. I had proposals to go to Italy, Spain, Mexico. But I was OK with Santos. Santos was the best team, with Real Madrid. A lot of players at the time -- Didi, Vava -- a lot of Brazilian players went to Europe, but I did not want to go.

SI: You said that if you were not a soccer player, you would be an actor, right? Pel�: Always I like it. Since I was young. But when I was young I wanted to be a pilot. Now I travel more than any pilot.

SI: So if you were an actor, what kind of actor would you be? Pel�: I would be Sidney Poitier.