Footballing Icon Pele has passed away. 😞

Very sad news. A footballing genius. I am old enough to remember the 1970 World Cup. Although he didn't score, what a great dummy on the goalie.

 

4 minutes ago, Boyne said:

Very sad news. A footballing genius. I am old enough to remember the 1970 World Cup. Although he didn't score, what a great dummy on the goalie.

 

I hold him and DiStefano to such a high regard considering they both were decades ahead of their time. 

3 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

I hold him and DiStefano to such a high regard considering they both were decades ahead of their time. 

I think that there are certain sportspeople - not only footballers - who transcend their sport. Pele was certainly one of those. I would also include Muhamad Ali in that list.

HOW PELÉ, AT JUST 17, DOMINATED THE 1958 WORLD CUP FINAL

26/11/2018 by PAUL MC PARLAN.      www.thesefootballtimes.co

 

This feature is part of Virtuoso

When Maria Callas strode onto the stage as Elvira to perform at the magnificent Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1949, her breathtaking vocal range took operatic performance to a whole new level before the most demanding cognoscenti in the world.

Every momentous performance demands the correct occasion to achieve the maximum impact and, in 1958, on a rain-soaked terrain at the Rasunda Stadium in Sweden, a young 17-year-old Brazilian footballer was about to deliver a display of footballing skill that would reshape history and restore pride and a sense of nationhood to the inhabitants of Brazil. The footballing order was about to be demolished by a kid from Três Corações.

Brazil barely scraped through to the World Cup in 1958. Nevertheless, a new multi-racial squad was emerging, amongst them a young black Brazilian by the name of Edson Arantes Do Nascimento,but who the whole world would know as Pele by the tournament’s end.

Brazil, determined to leave nothing to chance in their preparations for Sweden, employed the services of a psychologist to test the mental strength of the team at the training camp. Pelé didn’t perform well, being judged as “obviously infantile” and “did not possess the sense of responsibility for a team game” the psychologist reported, based on drawings he had been asked to make.

Even worse, his teammate Garrincha had been judged to be an “idiot”. Whilst psychometric testing may be standard practice in football today, the assessments used here were deployed when recruiting bus drivers in São Paulo. Brazil never lost a match in which the two played together.

Pelé arrived in Sweden still suffering from the effect of a knee injury and seemed unlikely to play although he was now participating in team training sessions. Brazil, after beating Austria and drawing with England, needed to win their final group game against the USSR. Pelé had yet to be selected. 

When considering possible future opponents, Brazil coach Vicente Feola praised the Swede Kurt Hamrin, saying “it’s going to be difficult to stop him, he is like a South American.” Nílton Santos, outraged, responded, “Pelé and Garrincha do this sh*t better than that gringo but you call them individualistic and ill disciplined.” Possibly responding to player pressure, Veola included them both for the USSR game.

In the game against Austria, the Seleção had fielded one black player – now there were three, alongside two of mixed race origin. Brazil were on their way to becoming the first truly multi-racial international football team.

A Pelé-inspired Brazil overcame the dour Sbornaya playing their unique brand of Samba football. The opening minutes of that game in which both Garrincha and Pelé hit the post and Vavá scored have been described as the best three minutes in the history of the game. As Brian Glanville noted, “Genius had overwhelmed mere effort,” as the opposition struggled to deal with the pantherine Pelé. Prior to the fixture, the Russian coach Gavril Kachalin was informed through an interpreter that Brazil were going to play three reserves. He went away happy — he didn’t know that Pelé was one of them!

Pelé became the youngest scorer in the World Cup with the winning goal against Wales in the quarter-finals. Brazil faced France in the semis, a team featuring Just Fontaine, the top marksman in the tournament with eight goals at this stage. However, by the end of the match, Pelé was the man that everybody respected after his stunning hat-trick crushed Fontaine and his compatriots 5-2.

Suddenly, Pelé was the name on everybody’s lips. At the training camp, hordes of young Swedish girls beckoned at the gates begging for his autograph and every reporter wanted to interview this innocent, new, black superstar. It is a tribute to his resilience that he did not lose his focus.

 

On 29 June 1958, Brazil faced Sweden in the final at the Rasunda Stadium. Despite their outstanding displays, the Seleção still had the trauma of 1950’s Maracanazo hanging over them. Fortune appeared to be against them when they lost the toss and had to don their change strip of blue rather than the vivid patriotism of their yellow kit.

Sweden took the lead after four minutes, but Brazil didn’t panic. Pelé hit the post and then Vavá scored two goals to give Brazil the lead. If anybody thought that Pelé would be overawed by playing on the world’s biggest stage, they were about to get their answer.

The second half belonged to one man: Pelé. There seemed to be little danger when on 55 minutes Nílton Santos delivered a cross into the penalty area. Pelé, standing with his back to goal, controlled the ball on his chest and twisted away from the closest marker who was left kicking thin air. He then impudently lifted the ball over the head of the next defender before volleying it past the Swedish ‘keeper. It’s to this very day, arguably the most exquisite goal ever seen in a World Cup final. The level of dexterity, skill, touch and awareness displayed in one so young were simply outrageous.

The appreciative and sporting Swedish crowd now cheered Pelé every time he touched the ball. In the final minute of the game, with Brazil leading 4-2, Pelé conjured up a magical back flick to Mari Zagallo and rose to receive his centre with majestical elevation and power for the fifth and final goal.

As BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme depicted, “Pelé, who has played such a magnificent part in this victory, is just 17.” Peter Lorenzo of The Daily Herald acclaimed, “The wriggling shadow of black lightning with the ball-jugglery of a circus star, leaving a trial of mesmerised head-shaking Swedish defenders in his wake.” So impressed was the King of Sweden that he came down from the stands to personally shake Pelé’s hand.

Brazil’s victory had restored pride to a nation whose identity was intrinsically linked with their football prowess. The curse of the Maracanazo had been lifted. Football had its first black footballing superstar whose majestic skills had ignited the tournament. It is still the most emphatic display of the beautiful game ever exhibited by an individual footballer on such a stage. In 1949, one critic hailed Callas’s operatic performance by proclaiming “even the most sceptical had to acknowledge the miracle that Callas has accomplished.” In Stockholm, in 1958, those words could just as rightfully be applied in heralding Pelé’s stunning virtuosity.

By Paul Mc Parlan @paulmcparlan

 

Edited December 29, 20223 yr by erskblue

Pele v Belgium in the Maracana in 1965.

The most complete player of all time, the one that could do it all and that invented most dribble moves that are still used today.

RIP 

Remember well the 1970 World Cup. He was such an icon then, whenever icons weren’t that common. Everyone knew the name Pele and as @Boyne said he was up there with Muhammad Ali as someone who transcends the sport. 
Probably my favourite footballer of all time was Maradona because of his immense skill and control of the football but overall Pele had so much more. Strength, power, heading ability, dribbling, eye for goal and humility. All this over an extended period while it seemed that every effer was trying to break his leg. Very little protection for the superstars of the game back then.

 

I too remember the 1970 World Cup. Pele was phenomenal, he had it all…vision,skill,shooting,heading ,dribbling and could also protect himself against opponents that would try anything to stop him. Above all though he was a winner and a true sportsman. RIP Pele today football lost a legend.

4 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

I hold him and DiStefano to such a high regard considering they both were decades ahead of their time. 

Add Garrincha to that list

A sign in Guadalajara during World Cup 1970: “Today we’re not working because we’re going to see Pele”.

He's the greatest along with Maradona.

RIP Pele.

Not sure when this picture with Frank Sinclair was taken.

as a brazilian and football fan, today is a sad day, the greatest of all is gone, if you hear someone saying "why is pelé the greatest of all?" technically, all of this pelé has done before, everything you messi doing, cristiano ronaldo, he's done it before, pelé was a god, perhaps the greatest athlete of all time, he stopped a war in africa playing for santos, never again there will be another one like it, may you be in peace.

 

Check this video guys, its amazing: 

 

 

IMAGE SOURCE, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Image caption, 

Pele playing for Brazil in 1960.

 

On 29/12/2022 at 22:14, Gol15 said:

The most complete player of all time, the one that could do it all and that invented most dribble moves that are still used today.

RIP 

Was lucky enough to see him play live twice. You are right Gol, a breath-taking all round footballer. Could run, tackle, pass, dribble was superb in the air and his vision and creative thinking was on another level. His goal-scoring record is unbelievable. And he did it all in the era of sh*t pitches and opponents who often targeted him with dreadful challenges that went unpunished in those days.

For me he will always be "the Greatest" simply because he could do everything.

 

Edited December 31, 20223 yr by just

17 minutes ago, just said:

Was lucky enough to see him play live twice. You are right Gol, a breath-taking all round footballer. Could run, tackle, pass, dribble was superb in the air and his vision and creative thinking was on another level. His goal-scoring record is unbelievable. And he did it all in the era of sh*t pitches and opponents who often targeted him with dreadful challenges that went unpunished in those days.

For me he will always be "the Greatest" simply because he could do everything.

 

So you saw him play and you also saw Stevie Ray Vaughan as well? You're a walking legend my friend, I just realised it.

3 hours ago, Gol15 said:

So you saw him play and you also saw Stevie Ray Vaughan as well? You're a walking legend my friend, I just realised it.

No, it wasn't me who saw Stevie Ray Vaughan Gol. Saw Frank Sinatra in concert the night England played Germany in the Italia '90 semi-final.

I have realised I saw Pele once not twice. My Father is from Dublin. https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/peles-dalymount-park-visit-remembered-28842403

The other one I thought he had played in was the Chelsea v New York Cosmos game in 1978 which I was at.  But I have just checked and he didn't. Cruyff and Beckenbauer played. I still have the match programme.

 

Edited December 31, 20223 yr by just

32 minutes ago, just said:

No, it wasn't me who saw Stevie Ray Vaughan Gol. Saw Frank Sinatra in concert the night England played Germany in the Italia '90 semi-final.

I have realised I saw Pele once not twice. My Father is from Dublin. https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/peles-dalymount-park-visit-remembered-28842403

The other one I thought he had played in was the Chelsea v New York Cosmos game in 1978 which I was at.  But I have just checked and he didn't. Cruyff and Beckenbauer played. I still have the match programme.

 

Ah yes I remember now, the cat @Munkworth saw SRV I think. Cheers!

The bbc iplayer is showing ‘The Official Film of Mexico 1970’ for the next 28 days as a tribute to Pele.

 

Just watched an item on the BBC news about The public tribute to Pele and the forthcoming funeral. The reporter mentioned that Pele's mother is still alive and turned 100 last year.