I was born for football, just as Beethoven was born for music. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, was destined for greatness from the moment he drew his first breath. A child prodigy, his footballing talents were discovered by another famed Brazilian forward Waldemar de Brito. The 1934 World Cup star took Pele to Santos, predicting that he would become the greatest player in the world. Amid much fanfare Pele made his debut for the Peixe at just 15 against Corinthians Santo Andre, scoring the first of his fabled 1281 career goals. At the age of 16, he had already become the Campeonato Paulistas top scorer for the season, an achievement he would repeat nine years in a row and 11 times in total. While some have questioned the inclusion of friendly goals in his overall tally, as well as the quality of state league opponents, it is unlikely that The Kings scoring statistics will ever be matched. He twice made it into triple figures for goals in a season, and on 15 occasions struck more than 50 times for Santos in a single campaign. He is Brazils all-time top-scorer, the Intercontinental Cups most prolific marksman, and he finished on top of the goal charts numerous times in prestigious tournaments such as the Brasileiro, Copa Libertadores and Copa America. Peles trophy cabinet is gigantic. He won six Brasileiro league titles, 10 state championships, two Copa Libertadores, two Intercontinental Cups and three World Cups in addition to countless individual accolades – from the Copa Americas best player of 1959 to the World Cup Golden Ball of 1970. But Pele was much more than just goals and titles. The influence that he had on his teams and team-mates, and football in general, cannot be measured purely in statistics. While the likes of Jose Andrade, Giuseppe Meazza, Stanley Matthews and Alfred Di Stefano pre-dated Pele and were famous throughout the world, Pele was the first real global superstar of the game. With Santos and Brazil he embarked on numerous tours – attracting sell-out crowds wherever he went. In 1967, a two-day ceasefire was declared in Nigeria so that Federal and Rebel troops could watch Pele play on a visit to the war-torn nation. His presence in the USA after moving to the New York Cosmos in the mid-seventies helped boost average attendance across the league by almost 80 percent. In some countries they wanted to touch him, in some they wanted to kiss him. In others they even kissed the ground he walked on, Peles former Brazil team-mate Clodoaldo revealed. During an age where players were generally specialists who were rigidly set in their position, Pele, along with Di Stefano, was one of the first total footballers. Pele was the most complete player Ive ever seen, said Englands 1966 World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Quick. Powerful. Could beat people with skill. Could outrun people. Only 5 ft 8 in tall, yet he seemed a giant of an athlete on the pitch. Perfect balance and impossible vision. It was at the Fifa World Cup where Pele truly defined his footballing greatness. In an outstanding team also featuring Garrincha, Didi, Djalma Santos and Vava, he burst onto the world scene at the 1958 finals in Sweden at the age of just 17. Wearing his iconic No.10 shirt, he scored the winner in the last eight against Wales, before hitting a hat-trick in the 5-2 semi-final triumph over France. In the final itself, he scored two more as the Selecao beat Sweden by the same scoreline. Pele had helped to soothe the nations pain following the Maracanazo of 1950 when Brazil lost on home soil to Uruguay. Two of the World Cups most iconic images involve Pele in 1958. The first is of him controlling the ball on his chest, executing a sombrero over a Sweden defender before thrashing a volley home. The second is of him crying into the arms of team-mate Gilmar at the final whistle as reality hit home that he was a world champion. He created even more memorable moments 12 years later during his fourth and final World Cup. These include forcing Gordon Banks into a miraculous save in the match against England, the attempted half-way line lob versus Czechoslovakia, the outrageous dummy on Uruguay goalkeeper Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, and the bullet header to open the scoring in the 4-1 final win over Italy. I told myself before the game, hes made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong, his marker Tarcisio Burgnich said after the final. The victory over the Azzurri clinched a third World Cup winners medal for Pele – he is still the only player to have won more than two tournaments – and it was undoubtedly the most satisfying. Pele had missed most of the 1962 success in Chile due to injury, while he also limped out of Brazils group-stage exit in England four years later after being brutally fouled by Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders. He had been close to retiring from international football for good, but he returned to form arguably the greatest World Cup team in history in Mexico. Mario Zagallos side, also starring legends such as Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto, Tostao, Gerson and Rivelino romped to the title, exhibiting the purest brand of winning football that the sport has ever seen. It was the definition of joga bonito. Peles critics often argue that he never tested himself at club level as he spent almost his entire career in Brazil. This is to miscalculate the strength of South America, which for long periods of the 1960s was superior to European football. In an era when few players crossed borders, Pele was declared an official national treasure by the Brazilian government to prevent him from joining Real Madrid and Juventus. At Santos, Pele formed a mouthwatering trio with attackers Pepe and Coutinho. They illustrated their dominance over the old continent by thumping Eusebios European Cup holders Benfica 8-4 on aggregate in the 1962 Intercontinental Cup. Pele scored five of the goals and added two more at San Siro the following year versus Cesare Maldinis AC Milan as Santos retained their trophy. Peles influence on Santos cannot be underestimated. Before he joined the club, they were not considered a major force and had only won one state championship before 1955. With Pele, they became not only the best club side in the world but one of the greatest of all time. On and off the pitch, Pele was impossible to ignore. The Pele brand is estimated by Bloomberg to now generate $25 million a year. From very early in his career, he was mingling with aristocrats and politicians. He went on to become Brazils Extraordinary Minister for Sport, a UN ambassador as well as one of the public faces of Fifa. Not all of these activities have endeared Pele. He is considered by many, none more so than his arch-nemesis Diego Maradona, as an establishment figure who has forgotten his roots having grown up in poverty. Indeed, few Brazilians love him like they do Garrincha, who was considered the joy of the people. But globally, there has never been anyone quite like him. He transcended the sport and in pure footballing terms it was never in any doubt that The King would be one of the first five inductees into the Goal Hall of Fame. goal/en/news/7130/hall-of-fame-2014/2014/11/11/5153440/pitch-perfect-pele-why-no-one-will-ever-roll-over-the?ICID=AR_RS_1
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 05:25:34 +0000
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