Any plans I may have previously had for this post have now been thrown out the window by the news that brought the world of football to a standstill.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known to the planet as Pelé, died of colon cancer yesterday at the age of 82. Arguably the greatest footballer in history, tributes naturally came pouring in from all corners of the world and from fields well beyond that of sports alone.
In addition to hundreds of footballers and other sports luminaries, the likes of incoming Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, US President Joe Biden, and former US President Bill Clinton took to social media to pay tribute to "O Rei". Current Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro declared three days of national mourning just hours after the news of Pelé's death came to light. Additionally, the world-famous Cristo Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro was lit up in the colours of the Brazilian flag to honour Pelé.
It is almost impossible to pick somewhere to begin, but this statement should just about suffice: for at least two decades, there was absolutely no debate whatsoever about who the greatest footballer ever was. It was Pelé and it wasn't even close.
Pelé's emergence on the world stage will almost certainly never again be matched. At the age of 17, Pelé burst onto the scene in spectacular fashion during the knockout stages of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. When he scored the only goal of the match in Brazil's quarterfinal victory over Wales, it proved to be merely a teaser of what was to come.
A stunning second-half hattrick against France in the semifinal sent Brazil into the final for the second time in three World Cups. Pelé then capped off the tournament with two goals as the Seleção beat Sweden 5-2 in the final. Pelé's success in that World Cup, however, was but a glimpse into the player he would someday become.
Pelé's three World Cup victories will almost certainly never be equalled, while his tally of 767 goals in official matches stood for more than half a century. His Brazil team's utter domination of the 1970 World Cup remains the gold standard for a single-tournament performance by a team in international football.
So far ahead was Pelé of any other player of the era that in 2016, France Football published a retrospective re-evaluation of Ballon d'Or winners before 1995. Prior to that year, only players from European countries had been eligible to win the most prestigious individual honour in football. Pelé would have received the award on seven occasions; four consecutively from 1958 to 1961 as well as in 1963, 1964, and 1970. That tally would have put him equal with current record-holder Lionel Messi. In addition, the timespan of 12 years between Pelé's first would-be triumph and his last would also have equalled Messi's.
One criticism often levelled against Pelé lies in the fact that he never made the move to Europe, where he could play for a top European club and showcase his brilliance by leading a team to the European Cup. However, those who make such a claim have ignored the fact that in World Cup after World Cup, Pelé routinely took apart players from the other side of the Atlantic - players who had won Europe's most prestigious club title on one or more occasions. It should thus be obvious that had he made the move to Europe, Pelé would have been just as incredible as he was during his 18-year stint at Santos.
Pelé almost single-handedly changed the course of Brazil's iconic international football team. Prior to the 1958 World Cup, Brazil were still feeling the shock of the "Maracanazo" - the upset loss to Uruguay in 1950 which cost Brazil a first-ever World Cup title. Needless to say, Pelé banished the effects of that loss once and for all.
The debate about who is the greatest of all time will rage on for as long as this incomparable sport is played. However, no one who even claims to know even the slightest bit about football would omit Pelé from that debate.
RIP to "O Rei" - one who truly lived up to the nickname bestowed upon him.
No comments:
Post a Comment