Pele was the undisputed king of the beautiful game
Even in this moment of the deepest grief for his family, for Brazil and the whole world of football, the late, great Pele continued to draw a crowd.
Even in this moment of the deepest grief for his family, for Brazil and the whole world of football, the late, great Pele continued to draw a crowd.
The outpouring of emotion, and gathering of mourning fans, stand as powerful testament to the majesty of O Rei – the king – even 45 years after he last juggled a ball past a bemused defender. In death, as in life, Pele still seized the attention like no other sporting figure, apart perhaps from his friend Muhammad Ali.
Pele, who has died aged 82 in Sao Paulo after a long struggle with renal and cardiac problems caused by colon cancer, was always so much more than the phenomenal numbers that led to the Guinness Book of Records marking his 1283 first-class goals in 1363 games.
Far more than a serial poacher, Pele was a team player of huge resilience, a fighter who overcame so much adversity, starting by helping his family survive straitened times by shining shoes on the streets of Tres Coracoes, Minais Gerais. When his heartbroken father lamented Brazil’s painful loss to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final, Pele reassured him: “Don’t be sad, I will win a World Cup for you.” He thought of others. It took him only eight years.
Pele possessed an aura way beyond his audience’s instinctive admiration for his prodigious finishing. Pele received an honorary British knighthood because of his sporting brilliance, but also for a sporting disposition embodied for eternity in that legendary photograph of him swapping shirts with Bobby Moore in 1970. In that same game in Guadalajara, when Gordon Banks denied him with that save, Pele typically found a positive. He found a friend. “I’m glad he saved my header – because that act was the start of a friendship between us that I will always treasure,” Pele wrote when Banks died in 2019. His foes became friends and that speaks the world for Pele the person as well as the player.
Footage from his first World Cup, in 1958, shows Pele tripping over the prostrate Jack Kelsey, apologising and helping the Wales goalkeeper up. Respect for an opponent underpinned his behaviour towards Kelsey, Banks and Moore, and never has football needed a reminder of such virtues as now, another reason why Pele is so mourned.
His stats are breathtaking and will feature prominently in reflections on his career, especially the 77 goals for Brazil, but he was so much more than the three World Cup medals, the first in Sweden, when crowds flocked to see the emerging talent. At 17, Pele was just a boy, but his skill was extraordinary, shown in the way he juggled a ball from Didi over Mel Charles and scored past Kelsey in Ullevi. Three photographers ran on to the pitch, taking pictures of Pele and his teammates celebrating in the back of the net.
He scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against the outstanding France side of Just Fontaine and Raymond Kopa, the third a sumptuous volley. Pele even juggled the ball to Vava to score, a feat of such technique and awareness. In the final, he juggled the ball over Bengt Gustavsson before scoring. He was fearless, and strong too, muscling Sigge Parling out of the way.
He was always on the move, sending a backheel to Mario Zagallo then venturing to meet Zagallo’s cross with a header to make it 5-2. At the final whistle, Pele succumbed to tears of joy and was embraced by Garrincha, his mud-stained white shorts confirming the commitment of his contribution.
Pele drew crowds because of this winning blend of athleticism, acceleration and audacity. The numbers alone, however remarkable – the six goals in four games at his first World Cup – simply don’t do him justice.
He had everything: a remarkable spring for a player of 5ft 8in, an awareness of teammates’ positions and, most devastatingly, of the opposing goalkeeper’s. He pushed the boundaries of what was deemed possible, constantly catching out defenders.
For those of us who never had the privilege of watching Pele in the flesh, there is recourse to YouTube, and also the verdict of such greats of the game as Johan Cruyff, Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano and Franz Beckenbauer, when asked about the greatest: Pele.
In 1999, France Football polled Ballon d’Or winners to name their player of the century: Pele. When the IOC deliberated over the “athlete of the century” in 1999, it had one conclusion: Pele.
Manchester United and Real Madrid had a frequent shared transfer target: Pele. But he stayed at Santos from 1956 to 1974 before moving to New York Cosmos.
He drew a huge crowd to his first press conference there, let alone to his first game.
Even with the ascent of Lionel Messi, and the continued adulation of Diego Maradona, it is still a cogent argument to claim Pele as the greatest of all time. He stood out even in a great side, possibly the greatest. The 1970 Brazil side of Gerson, Tostao, Rivellino and Jairzinho, tore apart an exceptional Italy team, containing Gigi Riva, Roberto Boninsegna, Sandro Mazzola and Giacinto Facchetti, in the Azteca final. Pele was the star in this galaxy.
Each generation usually claims its own as the best, but comparing eras is difficult. The kicking endured by Pele in the Sixties and Maradona, the other member of the trinity of footballing deities, in the Eighties simply does not stain or inhibit Messi’s era. Pele was kicked out of the 1966 World Cup, first by Bulgarians like Dobromir Zhechev in Brazil’s first game and then by Portugal’s Joao Morais in the third. Pele, typically, tried to play on, but Morais targeted him again. “I don’t want to finish my life as an invalid,” Pele warned afterwards, calling for better protection of the purveyors of skills as the game, he claimed, threatened to descend into a “war”.
His expression of the beautiful game was in a good-versus-evil war with the brutal game. Pele won. He scored four times in the 1970 World Cup, including the final, when his most unforgettable moment was a pass, selflessly laying the ball to his right. Pele knew Carlos Alberto was arriving, knew his movement instinctively. Here was Pele the supreme team player.
The Pele story is not all goals, glory and selflessness. In the Netflix film Pele, he was asked what he knew about the grim workings of Emilio Garrastazu Medici, the general who was president of Brazil from 1969 to 1974. He admitted to hearing the rumours of torture. But he was away with Santos some of the time. Could Pele have stood up to a repressive military regime?
He was also a voracious commercial creature, a brand, and it was hard to blame him after growing up in poverty. Pele’s life was a window on the changing world of football from pure sport to hard business. He was the face or voice of Coca-Cola, Nokia, Subway, even Viagra, among many others. His hair was made into diamonds before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, each one costing $US7500.
Pele attended countless events all over the world, always drawing a crowd, many for commercial reasons, such as for Umbro. He would name-check a player sponsored by the company, such as Michael Owen or Steve McManaman, when discussing the positives of English football. Pele was the master of the message.
Yet he was also heavily involved in humanitarian work. He never forgot his early years. He raised funds to alleviate poverty afflicting children across the world, including programs focused on access to education and clean water. He was a supporter of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, a patron of ABC Trust, helping street children in Brazil, and the 46664 campaign started by Nelson Mandela to raise awareness of HIV/Aids.
Pele made a huge difference to this world on and off the pitch. He was always touched by the thrill his presence brought, by the global reverence for his skills and achievements. “It is very emotional for me being here in London for someone who has travelled all over the world,” Pele told me after a very lively reception at the V&A Museum in 2012.
Pele was in London to support Brazil and another beloved Santos player, Neymar, in their attempt to win Olympic gold, as well as to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh for services to humanity.
Such seemingly random events, cast lists and settings were manifold in Pele’s rich life. One moment he is giving advice to Neymar, the next he is being led through the V&A by a piper playing Glendaruel Highlanders, past ancient ceramics and historic wall hangings while chatting to Katherine Grainger, the celebrated rower. Pele took it all in his famous stride.
Even an interview with Pele became an event, and a crowd gathered to hear him speak. “The most important thing for me is not to disappoint those who love me and admire me,” Pele explained to me at the V&A. “I want to thank God and to thank my father who told me about life. To be a great player is a gift from God, but to be a great man means always to respect people. I want to bring people together all over the world. We are all the same, we are all the son of God. I am the brother of everyone around the world.”
One Scot shouted a question of whether Scotland could qualify for the 2014 World Cup. “Football is always a box of surprises,” Pele replied. “I hope you have good luck in the future. See you in Brazil.” Pele had this gift for choosing the right response, just as he could pick the right pass.
There was a warmth to Pele, a man with time for others. At the V&A, he was approached by a couple of aspiring footballers, seeking advice. He was generous with his time, inquiring what level they played at, making them feel like kings. He gave them some tips, and concluded: “Keep the ball rolling.”
It might not seem a classic quote from the canon of the game’s deepest thinkers, but it made sense, and captured how Pele played the game and how he lived his life.
Now this fine man and peerless player has left us and the crowds unite in sorrow. But Pele’s legacy lives on in all those who keep the ball rolling.
The Times
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