Pele is the name of God. Goddess of volcanoes on the island of Hawaii. God who protects that island. Anyone who steals a grain of sand, a piece of lava, or a stone from the island will be cursed by Pele. The goddess Pele has a favorite volcano in Hawaii – Kiloa. Locals believe that Kiloya explodes when Pele gets angry. Pele is the name of a five-foot-eight-inch man who breathed life into the human race and spent a lifetime of football on earth. Pele, the legendary man who performed wonders on the playing fields with his feet
Pele was a fiery mountain who was both god and man at the same time. The world whooped, clapped, and cheered as the lava of genius melted. They boasted that they lived in Pele’s time. Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on October 23, 1940 in Tres Corases, Brazil to João Remos do Nascimento and Celeste Arantes. With the most goals scored, he played in four World Cups and won three cups, becoming the world record holder of football. Fans hailed the Black Pearl and the King. Pele surprised his fans by polishing his life as a shoe polisher with hard work.
His father, Dondinho, was a professional footballer. Edson Arantes do Nascimento was named after US scientist Thomas Alva Edison. Dontinho, who sought life in the cities, finally found refuge in Bauru. There, on September 7th, a black boy named Edson, nicknamed ‘Dico’, hit the first ball. From the age of seven, Pele had a ball on his feet like a magnet. But when his father stopped playing due to injury, poverty took a toll on his life. Diko worked as a shoe polisher on the street and at the railway station. A boy with a ball in his left hand and a shoe polish kit in his right hand!
On the streets, he continued to play on barefoot teams. When he started hitting paper balls and oranges, his friends gave him another name: Pele – meaning foot, dirt, soil. Pele was born at the age of eleven in a boys tournament sponsored by the Mayor of Bournemouth. He began to make waves in the world with the double name he had made friends with. Pele is the breath and breathing of millions of people. Warder de Brito, who was a friend of his father and a member of the Brazil World Cup team in 1934, had a long view of the ‘Magic’ of Pele. Brito recognized the world-class footballer in Pele when he came to train for the sub-junior players.
At the age of fifteen, the boy reached the Santos club in Brazil. Pele, who wore only trousers and a bunion, wore full pants, a shirt and shoes for the first time. Later were the days of thinking with effort over talent. First in junior and amateur teams. Then he became the youngest professional player in the full team. A regular in the professional team at the age of sixteen. Promoted to the number 10 jersey in the national team at the age of seventeen. In football, the number 10 players then filled in as Pele’s representatives. Pele, who played 18 years for the Santos club, also wore the jersey for the American club New York Cosmos for 2 years at the end of his career.
Santos Football Club made Pele a world star; How can you say it the other way around? On September 9, 1956, Pele wore the boots for Santos. Scored four goals in the match against FC Corinthians. Santos won the state league that year. After that, Santos won the Brazilian Cup six times and the World Club Championship twice. In 1957, Pele was included in Brazil’s national team on the basis of his excellent performance at the club. Scored 1265 goals in 1124 appearances for Santos over 18 years. Santos celebrates November 19 as ‘Pele Day’ to commemorate the day Pele scored 1000 goals.
Pele was 17 years old when he played his first World Cup in 1958. A hat-trick in the semi-final, 2 goals in the final, total of 6 goals scored in 4 matches. Commentators in Sweden who saw the goals in the final that year hailed Pele’s performance as ‘awesome’. He is also known as the one who can score goals even from inside the coffin. Pele appeared in 103 matches in 1959 alone. On average one game every 3 days. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Pele scored 1279 goals in 1363 games throughout his career. Pele also holds the record for scoring the most goals for Brazil. 77 goals in 92 games.
Participated in 3 World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970) with Brazil. In 1962, Pele was declared a ‘national treasure’ by Brazil. This samba dancer is unique in that there is no abundance of ‘replay’. Unrepeatable, inimitable sound quality. Long passes. Including the tight ball. Intelligence to anticipate opponent’s moves. The ability to catch a teammate’s rushing pass on his chest and shoot to the post with his feet in seconds. There was also the ‘Pele touch’ in heading the ball and scoring. That is why Pele became the most pronounced word by Brazilians for more than three decades.
It was during Pele’s time that football was established as a market for teamwork. Football lovers call it the golden age of football when Garinga, Weiva, Gersinho and Pele exchanged balls with each other and shook the field. Pele was the inventor of the double pass. Even though the British called it a scissor cut, they looked back and turned their backs, and those scoring footballs were beautiful poems created by football. Pele reminded us that he is a human being with humility and a smile, without being proud of his world victories and stardom.
Decades after he retired, Pele was a timeless brand. He was filled beyond the pale with a familiar, childlike smile. The two letters Pele have been the touchstone of excellence for those who have played, played or are yet to play football in history. As Pele, who was only 1.73 meters tall, ‘flooded’ the field as a one-man army, the wars were put down and put to rest. When he visited Nigeria in 1967, two slums embroiled in civil war declared a 48-hour ceasefire to watch Pele play.
Pele has also hit the ball in India. Pele’s game was on September 24, 1977 in Kolkata. Mohun Bagan Football Club paved the way for Pele’s arrival. The day Pele scored a thousand goals was a national holiday in Brazil. The sound of the church bells in Rio echoed throughout the country. In 1971, when he was recalled from the national team, Brazil mourned Pele’s name. Now not only Brazil, but all over the world young and old people are crying for a single man. ‘Pele is not dying, will never die, will be here forever’ – Pele’s own words. Two legends of football, Pele and Maradona, have left the earth. We are like windblown cotton, the great pain of emptiness..!
English Summary: Pele – History of a football legend