In 1999, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award. That same year, Pelé was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. Pelé is the most successful domestic league goal-scorer in football history scoring 650 goals in 694 League matches, and in total 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and is a Guinness World Record.
Putting in other words, when you compare Pelé to other players you have in mind Michael Jordan in NBA, Mohammad Ali in the ring or Wayne Gretzky on the ice rink. The greatest…
Nothing comes easy, however. Like many football players from developing countries, Pelé had a tough childhood.
He grew up in the poor district of São Paulo. As a kid he had to work as a tea boy in the local shops not because he wanted to have extra pocket money, because he had to survive. Imagine the poverty so big that you can’t afford your own ball. What do you do then if you want to play football? You improvise. You take a bunch of old socks, cover them with newspaper, take strings and tide them. Off you go to the field to kick, pass and shoot.
He started playing for a few teams when he was a teen. At that time indoor football began to be popular in Brazil. Small pitch required more technical game, fast pace and quick decision making. At the age of 14, he joined the indoor football club and this was something that gave him an extra boost in the career.
He appeared at first adult tournament in the region but was denied to play because of his age. Finally, the team managed to convince the organizer to include him in the squad. Pelé scored 14 out of 15 goals for his team and became the top scorer of the event.
Pelé’s coach de Brito called Santos FC and persuaded them to take him on board. De Brito told Santos that they would regret as no doubt the young kid will be “the greatest player in the world soon”. I guess they heard it every now and then from many coaches about their prospects but after trial tests, they decided to take him to school.
Well, academy life didn’t last long. One year later Pelé was in the first team, scored the most goals in the league, won the title for the club and was nominated to the national team for the world cup. That was at the age of 17. What stats are we talking about by the way? Well, in the first 3 seasons for Santos he scored (solely in the league) 58–33–47 goals consecutively.
Top clubs from Europe lined up for him but the Brazilian team didn’t even think of allowing him to go to Europe. He played total 19 seasons in Brazil and then at the verge of retirement he moved to play for New York Cosmos where he brought huge crowds to the games in the US where football was never “a thing”.
Internationally he was no doubt very successful. On 29 June 1958, Pelé became the youngest player to play in a World Cup final match at 17 years and 249 days. He scored two goals in that final as Brazil beat Sweden 5–2 in Stockholm, the capital. His first goal where he flicked the ball over a defender before volleying into the corner of the net, was selected as one of the best goals in the history of the World Cup.
His World Cup tournaments had their ups and downs. He won 3 titles with Brazil but one sitting on the bench and injured. He was always a target on the pitch for international teams. He suffered so much from fouls that he refused to play in 1970. Eventually, he agreed and won Golden Ball and the title.
Pelé has also been known for connecting the phrase “The Beautiful Game”. A prolific goalscorer, he was known for his ability to anticipate opponents in the area and finish off chances with an accurate and powerful shot with either foot. Pelé was also a hard-working team-player, and a complete forward, with exceptional vision and intelligence.
No doubt the best player in the history of football.
