Slumdog Soccer Star Millionaire

Martin lives in Brazil's favelas. He owes 20,000 reais to a gang led by a man named Dolly. A dogfight goes wrong. Martin's dog is accused of cheating, the rival refuses to pay, and Martin's dog ends up dead. Fer, his friend, panics. Dolly's people won't let this go.

Fer tells Martin about a football tournament with a prize of 50,000 reais each if they win. Martin resists. His father won't let him play football. Fer insists this is life or death. His father won't know.

Martin goes to a local team for a tryout. The coach, busy running drills, barely glances at him. He tells Martin they don't take kids and sends him away. Moments later, a ball flies toward a girl near the pitch. Martin intercepts it with speed and skill. The same coach who just dismissed him notices and approaches. He asks if Martin plays football. Martin says a little. The coach asks if he wants a tryout. Martin says yes.

The coach tests him. Trapping the ball. Stamina. Then a small-sided game. Martin is put at left forward against four other players. He gets past a defender. The coach gives him one instruction: come train tomorrow, and get better shoes.

Dolly catches up with them. He wants his 20,000 reais. Selling both boys wouldn't cover it. One of his men suggests harvesting their organs. Fer blurts out that Martin can play football and win 50,000. Dolly decides to test him. He has his men hold Fer and prepares to throw a rock at Fer's head. Martin must use a can to knock the rock down mid-air. If he misses, Fer dies, and so does Martin. Martin kicks the can. It hits the rock. Dolly gives him a deal: win the tournament, every cent of the prize is his. Miss one shot, and he takes both their lives.

Martin joins the team. During an intra-squad training match, he struggles badly. He has never played a full game and has only played on dirt fields. His legs shake. His passes go wild. A teammate snaps at him. The coach pulls him off and tells him to go home if he is not serious. Nobody cares what is wrong with him. They only care about results.

Before his first official match, the team captain notices Martin's hands shaking. He tells Martin it is normal. He shares that he threw up in the tunnel before his own first match, and his coach still let him play, saying he would run lighter since he was already empty. Someone nearby mocks the captain, calling it a live lesson on how to be a soccer mascot.

The match begins and goes poorly. Carlos gets beaten three times. Lula loses passes. The coach warns Martin he will be taken off if he keeps playing like this. At halftime, the captain rallies them: play fast, go forward immediately, no back passes, no hesitation. Martin must stay high, attack every touch, win it back if he loses it.