I sometimes feel football was invented for this magical player.”
That’s what Sir Bobby Charlton had to say about Pele, the greatest player of his generation and the most revered footballer of all-time.
For those lucky enough to watch the Brazil icon in his prime, the superlatives were seemingly endless.
Pele famously described football as ‘o jogo bonito’ – the beautiful game – and arguably no individual did more to make it so.
His electrifying ability with the ball at his feet and penchant for spectacular goals was the stuff of legend.
And another legend who is sadly no longer with us after his death was announced at the age of 82 on Thursday (December 29).
Brazil and the rest of the world are mourning a true icon of the game who’s legacy will continue to last for generations.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, to become known as Pele, was born in 1940 to a son of Fluminese footballer Dondinho – and was named after American inventor Thomas Edison.
He grew up in poverty in Sao Paolo and could not afford a football as a child, so had to learn to play with a grapefruit.
Pele’s talents were quickly picked up upon and he signed for nearby Santos after reportedly telling club directors he would be ‘the greatest player in the world’.
Such bold confidence from a 15-year-old… but the supreme faith in his abilities was wholly justified.
He was still 15 when he made his debut for Santos and made his Brazil debut just a year later.
Pele and the World Cup became synonymous and is what elevated him to global superstar status.
He was just 17 when he won his first World Cup in 1958, scoring in the final and remains the youngest player to ever do so.
It was a career-defining moment for the boy from Sao Paolo as he etched his name into the record books.
By the time the 1962 World Cup rolled around four years later, Pele was rated the best player in the world.
However, he got injured in the second match and was out for the rest of the tournament as Garrincha then starred to bring home another trophy.
He would have to wait until 1970 for his third, and final, World Cup triumph in arguably one of the best and most exciting teams in history, lining up alongside the likes of Rivelino and Jairzinho in attack.
Their clash with England in the group stages produced some iconic moments from Gordon Banks’ magnificent save to his warm embrace with Bobby Moore after the final whistle.
They went on to thrash Italy in the final to secure Pele’s legacy as the greatest World Cup player in history.We see all of the stats, the grainy video clips and just his name along carries so much weight.
But what was he actually like as a player and what made him so special?
Brazil’s 1970 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Carlos Alberto Torres said: “His great secret was improvisation. Those things he did were in one moment. He had an extraordinary perception of the game.”
It was not just his own teammates who were in awe of him, the other greatest players of his generation were all in agreement that there was no one better.
England’s World Cup winning captain Moore said: “Pele was the most complete player I’ve ever seen, he had everything. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Quick. Powerful. Could beat people with skill. Could outrun people.
Only five feet and eight inches tall, yet he seemed a giant of an athlete on the pitch. Perfect balance and impossible vision. He was the greatest because he could do anything and everything on a football pitch.
“I remember Saldanha the coach being asked by a Brazilian journalist who was the best goalkeeper in his squad. He said Pele. The man could play in any position.”
For many he is the greatest footballer of all-time, but he spent most of his club career in Brazil racking up mind-boggling statistics.
That is because he was literally a national treasure. The Brazilian government declared him one in 1961 to prevent foreign football clubs from taking him out of the country.
Santos had started to receive offers from the European heavyweights of the day like Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid. Unlike the South American greats that followed him like Diego Maradona, he never made the move to Europe.
Pele often spoke about those offers to move elsewhere after his career had ended, claiming Manchester Untied made an offer in 1968 where he would have lined-up with George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton… some attacking line-up that would have been.
His overall goal tally that is officially recognised by Guinness World Records is 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and tour games, and is the subject of much debate. His record for Brazil of 77 goals in 92 appearances remains a record, though Neymar is likely to surpass that someday soon.Pele retired after a brief spell with New York Cosmos, but still remained heavily involved in the game.
He starred in the hit 1981 film Escape to Victory alongside the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Bobby Moore and Ossie Ardiles. He also made a brief cameo in the hit British comedy Mike Bassett: England Manager.
In 1994 he was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and assisted Brazil’s bid to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro.
Pele’s health has deteriorated in recent years and appeared in a wheelchair for the 2018 World Cup draw.
In September 2021, he had surgery to remove a tumour on his colon and was in and out of hospital in the following months.
It was announced on Thursday that Pele had sadly died at the age of 82.
