Image courtesy of Nuestro Stories.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known globally simply as Pelé, is considered the best player in the world.
He loved the game, and the game adored him. Gazelle-like and fast, strong and skilled, Pelé played the game with intelligence and generosity. He had control, pace, power, and vision. To watch him play was to see a master at work.
Pelé’s power transcends football. He is a unifying force in Brazil and the world, a symbol of hope. Soccer is Brazil’s lifeblood, and Pelé its King.
The formation of Pelé’s legacy came early on
He was prescient about his career. When Brazil lost at the World Cup in 1950 to Uruguay, Pelé, just a boy, promised his sobbing father he would win it back.
And he was once declared a national treasure, one that couldn’t be exported from the country. It was during an emergency session of Congress after Italian clubs had come for the teenager's signature.
Pelé was just 16 years old when he first entered the football pitch. He scored for Brazil in 1957 against Argentina, which began an iconic career. Then, faster than an umpire can sing out “goaaallll,” he shot and scored straight through the net twice in the final against Sweden and raised Brazil’s first-ever World Cup.
But, four years later, in the 1962 World Cup in Chile, an injury in a game with Chevoslovakia put a stop to Pelé. Brazil held on to retain the cup, and Pelé captured a second winner's medal. But it was a blow.
More was to come because, by this time, Pelé’s talent had made him a target. It was the summer of 1966, and the place was Goodison Park – home of Everton Football Club. Pelé got the stuffing kicked out of him; beaten and bruised, it did more than nullify him for the rest of the game; it soured him on the international game forever.
The loss would be 3-1, and he could do nothing to stop it. It ended Brazil’s eight-year ownership of the Jules Rimet trophy. Pelé stepped away when his country needed him – military rule had taken over following the 1964 coup d'etat.
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Pelé, a soccer legend and more
He became a father and toured South Africa – where they received him as a national hero. But, when Pelé returned to the beautiful game, he was a changed man.
He returned stronger and more mature, and his performance at the 1970 World Cup proved it. And it also showcased another of Pelé’s attributes: humility. In one seamless movement, he swiped the ball into the path of the goalscorer.
Today, he is 82 and suffers mobility issues, but his career stands as a shining example of a life well lived – with ups, downs, comebacks, and resilience. There is a documentary titled Pelé, which tells the entire story. Well worth the watch. It is the story of a great man and a King.
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