A man named Edson Arantes do Nascimento died a few days ago at the age of 82. The name is strange to many except football fans who know him as a footballer called Pele.
Some of the new generation of football lovers have worked hard to compare Pele with Lionel Messi from Argentina or Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal, but honestly and frankly no one comes close to Pele whether in football achievements or popularity and global acceptance. Pele is just that: Pele, a world football icon known across continents and generations.
To compare Pele to either of the two important footballers or the other for that matter is to make a joke out of something serious. When Pele played football there was no Internet so there was no live streaming of football matches. Football matches are only covered on radio, television and newspapers. But stadiums are full wherever Pele plays. And his football career was mainly in Brazil. He has never played in a European league or any other big league, but his name has become a household name because in FIFA World Cup matches where he displayed his unmatched skills, the world stood to greet him.
In every profession there are people who are truly immortal, who stand out head and shoulders above their contemporaries. In football Pele is a man. In boxing Mohammed Ali chose the diadem; in pop music Michael Jackson wears a crown; in Reggae music it is Bob Marley; the Afro beat Fela is a fellow; in basketball Michael Jordan is a master; in athletics there is no bigger name than Usain Bolt. These are people who not only have extraordinary skills in various callings, but also charisma, talismans and hypnotism magic. For them, skills are not enough. He has an extra ability that can be called charm.
Pele is the first person. Some of this is documented in his book entitled: “Pele, my life and the wonderful game,” written jointly by him and Robert L. Fish. Pele’s first international match was a 2-1 defeat against Argentina on 7 July 1957 at the Maracana. In that match, he scored his first goal for Brazil at the age of 16 years and nine months and he remains the youngest goalscorer for his country.
On June 29, 1958 Pele became the youngest player to play in a World Cup final at the age of 17 years and 249 days. He scored two goals in the match. Pele started playing for Santos Football Club when he was only 15. He won three FIFA World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player to do so. He scored a total of 1,279 goals in 1,363 games and is recognized as A Guinness World Record.
His outstanding football qualities are his excellent dribbling skills, the ability to score spectacular goals with one foot, accurate ball passes and exceptional vision and anticipation and being in the right place at the right time. In all the matches there was an abundance of physical strength, stamina, balance, agility and athleticism. On the day of the match, Brazil’s President, Janio Quadros, passed a law through parliament declaring Pele a “national treasure”, prohibiting him from being transferred from Brazil to another country. He was only allowed to play in the United States after his retirement.
In 1999 he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. He was also included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000 he was selected as the World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.
Pele is the toast of world leaders. He visited 88 countries, met 15 Kings, six Emperors, 72 Presidents and 40 other Heads of State. He was an honorary citizen of more cities and countries than anyone else in history. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him. The Shah of Iran decided to wait three hours at the international airport just to be able to speak and shake hands with Pele. Pele also attended a soccer match for the President of the United States Richard Nixon at the White House in 1973. And when he met another President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, Reagan introduced himself “I am Ronald Reagan, President of the United States” and turned to Pele saying: “Don’t introduce yourself. Everyone knows Pele.
Pele’s influence transcends borders. In Colombia when Pele was sent off the field in a game for protesting the referee’s decision, a crowd stormed the field. The referee had to be assisted by the police and a linesman was immediately appointed as referee and Pele was forced to return to the game.
Even Nigeria appreciates the great influence and appeal of the football icon. In 1967, the Biafra War broke out in Nigeria. There is a football match between Nigeria and Brazil where Pele will appear. Soldiers on both sides of the war agreed to a 48-hour truce so that people on both sides of the war could watch Pele play. Infact, two groups of war soldiers provide security in the match. Soldiers on both sides waited for Pele and his friends to leave the country before continuing the battle. Such is Pele’s influence around the world, an influence that clearly extends beyond Brazil and football.
Wherever he went, he was treated like royalty and the title of King Pele was pinned on him by his admirers. More than 90 songs have been written under the name Pele, but the man remains humble and private. He also appeared in films and was always on the front pages and covers of global newspapers and magazines.
I have no intention of getting into a sterile debate about who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). No one can be considered the greatest of all time because we haven’t reached the end of time, but Pele’s enemies and friends have crowned him the undisputed King of Football. Dutch star Johan Cruyff said: “Pele is the only player who goes beyond the limits of logic.” Brazilian teammate Clodoaldo commented on the adulation he saw wherever he went with Pele. “In some countries they wanted to touch Him; in some they wanted to kiss Him. In others they even kissed the ground they walked on.”
Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany’s 1974 World Cup-winning captain, said of his rival “Pele is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20 years. Nobody can compare to him.” England’s 1966 FIFA World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore also recorded his views on Pele. He said: “Pele is the most complete player I’ve ever seen. He has everything. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Quick. Strong. Can beat people with skill. Can beat people. Only five foot eight inches, but he looks like an athlete. a giant on the field. Perfect balance and impossible vision. He is the greatest because he can do anything and everything on the football field.
Pele can speak Portuguese, English, Italian, French and Spanish, which shows that on or off the football field the man is a genius.
It is true that football gave Pele to the world, but Pele gave us the desire to make football a global game, watch, enjoy, be crazy and respect the people who make us happy. by chasing round objects in the field. Today, football has been elevated not only to a high art but also to a brutal sport due to the high fees paid to footballers and the punishment for failing to play well. Coaches rise and fall with the rise and fall of the team. For them too, failure is met with a red card that makes a career in a club or country temporarily closed.
Then the search for a new job begins. Football will remain the world’s favorite social enterprise for a long time because of the joy it brought to the world because of the magic Pele brought to the game. Football is taken seriously by most countries, rich and poor alike, because of its unifying attributes and the global acclaim it has gained through the exploits of people like King Pele.
Africa has produced many good footballers but none have risen to the status of Pele because African governments have not paid extraordinary attention to the development of the good game. No African team has won the World Cup. At the Qatar World Cup only Morocco out of the five African teams made it to the semi-finals for the first time. Africans broke into song and danced to the feat. Will the high praise of Pele make African countries pay more serious attention to football than they do now? I don’t know.