Pelé embodied the idea of ​​football as a beautiful game – a look back at his life | world news

Pelé, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, was Brazil’s all-time top scorer, with 77 goals in 92 appearances for his country.

The three-time World Cup winner embodied the idea of ​​football as “the beautiful game”, one played with skill, speed and imagination.

Beginning of life

Pele was born into a poor family in Tres Coracoes, southern Brazil, on October 23, 1940.

His full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, which he revealed in a 2014 tweet was in honor of American inventor Thomas Edison because electricity had just been introduced to his hometown.

He took the nickname Pelé at school.

His father, Dondinho, was a minor league footballer, who taught his sons how to play and his brother, Zoca, also played for Brazilian side Santos.

Early career and 1958 World Cup

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Photo: AP

Pelé joined Santos at 15, and at the same age he made his senior debut in 1956.

He won a place in the national team for the 1958 World Cup, held in Sweden and, aged just 17, scored twice in the final beating the hosts 5-2.

Pele became the tournament’s youngest goalscorer and remained the only 17-year-old to score at the World Cup.

1962, 1966 and 1970

Pelé opens the scoring in the 1970 World Cup final
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Pelé opens the scoring in the 1970 World Cup final

Injuries restricted his contribution to Brazil’s 1962 triumph in Chile, and he was heavily scarred in the 1966 competition in England, where he suffered repeated, sometimes brutal, fouls.

But he was player of the tournament four years later, as Brazil assembled one of the greatest teams of all time and lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy in Mexico.

Led by Carlos Alberto, the team of Jairzinho, Tostao and Rivellino beat Italy 4-1 in the final.

What made him great?

Photo: AP
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Photo: AP

Like many of those considered among the game’s all-time greats, Pelé was relatively short, at around 5 feet 7 inches (1.73 m).

But what he lacked in height he more than made up for in skill, with both feet, pace, strength and heading ability.

The centre-forward’s achievements are all the more remarkable given that he played at a time when skillful players were routinely fould in games, with referees often reluctant to send off or even penalize offenders.

Not a hard-core striker, some of his most famous moments weren’t goals at all.

In the 1970 World Cup there was an attempt from the halfway line against Czechoslovakia, an outrageous dummy against Uruguay and a head down that was somehow saved by England keeper Gordon Banks.

Soccer club – Santos

Pelé spent 18 years at Santos, where he is the all-time top scorer.

He helped them win six league titles, including five in a row from 1961, as well as two wins in the Copa Libertadores, considered the closest thing South America has to the Champions League.

New York Cosmos

Pelé ended his playing days at the New York Cosmos and retired from football in 1977.

Such was his impact in the United States, and in the fledgling North American Soccer League (NASL), more than 75,000 fans packed New York’s Giants Stadium for his final game, deservedly against Santos.

He was a prolific goalscorer in the NASL, leading Cosmos to the title in his final season.

His star power helped establish the world’s greatest sport in a country that until then had largely ignored him.

Goals controversy

Photo: AP
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Photo: AP

There is much controversy over the number of goals he scored during his career, which Guinness World Records puts at 1,279.

However, many critics believe that figure is too high, boosted by hundreds of goals scored in friendlies and training matches.

Including these, he has scored at nearly one goal per game throughout his 22-year career.

Others put his tally at 757 goals, although Santos claim his tally was closer to 1,000.

That would make him the all-time leading goalscorer for a single major club.

In 2013, he received the FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur (honor award) in recognition of his career and achievements.

By modern comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 800th goal in 1,095 official senior appearances for club and country in December 2021.

Private life

FILE PHOTO: Brazilian soccer legend Pele poses for photographers ahead of a news conference on an exhibit about his life titled "King's Marks" held in conjunction with celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of Brazil's World Cup victory at the National Museum in Brasilia June 25, 2008. REUTERS/Roberto Jayme/File Photo
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Pelé poses for photographers before a press conference on an exhibition about his life titled ‘The King’s Marks’

Pelé has been married three times, most recently to businesswoman and entrepreneur Marcia Aoki in 2016.

He fathered seven known children, but admitted in 2021 he had so many affairs he couldn’t be sure of the actual total.

2014 World Cup

FILE PHOTO: Brazilian football great Pele attends a press conference to present the global FIFA World Cup "Tour of the trophy" in Paris on March 10, 2014. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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Pele attends a press conference to present the FIFA World Cup global “Trophy Tour” in Paris, March 10, 2014

Since retiring, Pelé has served as Brazil’s sports minister and football ambassador.

He was Brazil’s honorary ambassador during the 2014 World Cup, which was held in his home country.

But before the tournament started, he angered many of his fellow Brazilians by criticizing the timing of anti-corruption protests, telling protesters they could spoil the event.

The best?

Football fans love to debate who is the greatest of all time, with many believing that Diego Maradona, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have more title claim than Pelé.

But Sky Sports football commentator Martin Tyler disagrees, saying “for me it [Pele] is the greatest player of all time.”

“One of my first jobs outside of television was to put the English voice on a VHS, as it was at the time, of his career in Brazil and his 1,000 goals,” he said. -he declares.

“If I had any doubts about his quality, this video proved it. It was a privilege to do so and pay tribute to a man who could do so much more than score goals.

“He will always be remembered for his ability to score incredible goals in terrible conditions on bumpy pitches, when players had more license to use any means to stop him. He was irresistible.

“Without a doubt for me he will always be the greatest and in the world of football he is immortal.”

malek

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