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Writer's pictureChristos Davos

Sports Stories: Pele

By cy.Reporter, 30 December, 2022


At the age of 82, Pele breathed his last and cybetNews honors the legend of football, the football player who at the age of 20 was already a World Champion, was described as a "national treasure" of Brazil and in his face the football planet saw him first footballer where he was described by many as the best of all time!


Pele or Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on October 23, 1940 in Brazil, specifically in the city of Tres Corasos, which in translation means the city with three hearts. Pele's father João Ramos do Nascimento or Dondinho was one of Brazil's most promising footballers, however, a serious injury at the age of 23 - a few months before Pele's birth - put an end to his dreams, which however came after years for his son to take off and carry out. Little Pele couldn't help but love football being Brazilian, so one day while playing with his friends with a makeshift ball made of cloth and paper, he found a deflated but leather ball nearby. So, according to many, he was called Pele, which in many languages means skin, which for several years he did not like to hear at all.


However, it is said that names are not given to anyone by chance, so a theologian explained to Pele that his name in the Bible means "miracle", which made the Brazilian love it, as it naturally inspired him. Pele had poor years, but his father wanted to see his son a footballer, something his mother did not want to think about. Finally, in adolescence he meets a well-known Brazilian soccer player, Valdemar de Brito, who founds a Futsal team. There the now-teenage Pele unfolds his talent and faces adult players as opponents.


However, as he explained years later, futsal, because it is played in a smaller space, helped him think quickly and compete faster, as everything happens in a small space. So when he found himself in the city of Santos in Sao Paulo and started showing everyone his talent, it didn't take long for Santos to make him her own. His first game with the team jersey took place on September 7, 1956, before he even turned 16! This is how history began to be written...


Pele scores dozens of goals and is considered the greatest talent in Brazil. Thus, 10 months after his debut with Santos, he became a member of the Brazilian National Team. Pele's legend in the shirt of Santos began to grow as he led his team to championships, resulting in several clubs from Europe wanting him. However, such a thing was considered impossible to do, as the world of Santos and Brazil could not imagine that Pele would leave the country, as he was described as the "national treasure".


However, his presence with the Brazilian National Team was what later led the World Football Federation to declare him the best footballer of the 20th century. At the age of less than 18, in the 1958 World Cup, the young Pele, having only two appearances with the Brazilian national team, became the youngest scorer in the history of the World Cups and in the final against Sweden he scored two goals and led the Seleção to the conquest of World Cup and became the youngest footballer to achieve this to date...


Two more World Cup victories followed, with Pele celebrating three of the five in Brazil's history. His records at club level are 10 Paulista championships, six Brazilian championships, two Copa Libertadores, one intercontinental cup, three World Cups with the Brazilian National Team (1958, 1962, 1970). While in individual honors he was named the top scorer in the Paulista league 11 times, the best young player in the 1958 World Cup, the best player in the 1970 World Cup, while the International Olympic Committee in 1999 named him "Sportsman of the Century".


However, apart from the records and goals achieved by Pele, he inspired millions of people around the world and was the first footballer in history to be described by many as the greatest footballer to ever see the sport of football and not unfairly, as if one watches his actions will see that they are almost the same as those of today's footballers, but the Brazilian had carried them out half a century ago.

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