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“This debate about the player of the century is absurd,” stated Zico, another Brazilian superstar who played in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups. “There’s only possible answer: Pelé. He’s the greatest player of all time, and by some distance, I might add.”
Another player considered to be one of the greatest, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner and a man still delighting fans to this day, agreed. “Pelé is the greatest footballer in history and there will only ever be one Pelé,” said Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile the three-time Champions League-winning manager, José Mourinho
– and a man not known for his recognition of others – was in no doubt. “I think he is football. You have the real ‘Special One’ – Mr Pelé.”
Andy Warhol, the famous artist who once painted a portrait of Pelé, used his best-known quote and turned it around. “Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory. Instead of 15 minutes of fame he will have 15 centuries.”
In 1999 the International Olympic Committee voted him the ‘Athlete of the Century’. In the same year Time Magazine voted him one of the ‘100 Most Important People of the 20th Century’. One year later the International Football Federation of Football History and Statistics named him ‘World Player of the Century’.
In January 2014 Pelé was honoured with the first ever FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur in recognition of his contribution to the game. France Football carried out an extensive analysis of players who would have won the Ballon d’Or in the early years if players not based in Europe were eligible. In their opinion Pelé would have been the recipient of this accolade seven times, more than any other player in history. He was also named in 2020 as part of the greatest dream team in the history of the game. Meanwhile, in 2014, the city of Santos inaugurated the Pelé Museum, costing $22 million to construct, and sporting over 2,400 pieces of Pelé’s memorabilia.
Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and the first two decades of the 21st century, Pelé has been in much demand. On his retirement he was given the ‘Citizen of the World’ award by the United Nations. In 1992 he was appointed as UN Ambassador for Ecology and Environment. In 1994 he became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and a Champion of Sport for UNESCO, playing his part in the 1996 Children in Need global campaign and the 2000 Match of the Heart designed to ease relations in the Middle East. In 1995 Pelé was appointed Extraordinary Minister for Sport by the Brazilian president, a post that lasted three years. During this time, he proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football. This became known as the ‘Pelé Law’.
He has subsequently been used in various football or more general sporting roles. These include: helping to inaugurate the 1996 World Cup Finals alongside supermodel Claudia Schiffer; in 2009 he assisted in the bid by Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games, a bid the city would go on to win; in 2010 he was named Honorary President of the revived New York Cosmos; Pelé was also awarded Brazil’s gold medal in 1995 for outstanding services to sport, and was part of the handover at the 2012 London Olympics to Rio at the closing ceremony. In 1984 he received the Order of Merit for South America and in 1997 he received an Honorary Knighthood at Buckingham Palace from the Queen of England. And, famously, he starred in the 1981 film, Escape to Victory, alongside Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone.
He has released several autobiographies since his retirement, played guitar on several music albums, starred in his own film biopic, Pelé Forever and was the ambassador of various blue chip brands such as Visa. He also invested in a campaign encouraging breastfeeding to reduce child mortality rates and headed another campaign to decrease illiteracy.
His profile made him the first real global sporting superstar, and at a time when media influence was increasing and television was becoming more accessible to the wealthier parts of the planet. This was the case, to a degree, as a player, but even more so afterwards where brands clamoured to use his services. Crucially, he was also the first black sporting icon recognised worldwide.
It would have been understandable for a man who last kicked a competitive ball in 1977 if Pelé had been largely forgotten by now. After all, nobody under 50 at the time of writing could even remember seeing him play. Others, such as Puskás and Di Stéfano, are merely names from the past. Newer generations have been and gone. Maradona, Cruyff, Platini, Zidane. Current names near their final days. Messi, Ronaldo. New stars will take over the mantle. Salah, Lewandowski. Maybe Mbappé, Haaland.
And yet the name, the man and the player lives on. Pelé. His goals and his near misses, in black and white or grainy colour, are familiar to today’s fans as they were 50 years ago. The header and the Gordon Banks save; the dummy past the goalkeeper in the World Cup semi-final; the shot from half way; the two goals in the 1958 World Cup Final, including the lob over the defender and the volley; the exchanging of shirts and the mutual respect between him and Bobby Moore; the headed goal in the 1970 World Cup Final and, of course, the delayed, blind assist to Carlos Alberto.
The records, the assists, the goals scored, the trophies won, the accolades and the honours bestowed upon him. They say records are there to be beaten, yet it is impossible to see his best marks ever surpassed.
And finally the name. One small word. One huge contribution to football, to sport and to this planet. Pelé. A name recognised and appreciated to this day in every far-flung corner of the world.
That is quite some legacy.
Opus CEO Karl Fowler
Creative Director Zenon Texeira
Senior Designer Gary Maddison
Senior Designer Bhavin Mistry
Graphic Designer Sammy Fowler
Videographer Jake Hargreaves
Project Manager Hari Ramachandran
CONTRIBUTORS
Foreword Sir Geoff Hurst
Interview and essays Ian Stafford
IMAGES
Image retouching Neil Rhodes (www.image-restore.co.uk)
All images are from Getty Images and Pelé’s personal archives, except for page 5 and the image above (Zenon Texeira, Opus)
SPECIAL THANKS
Getty Images
John Emmerson and his staff at Emmersons
Paul Kidson and the team at Ludlow Bookbinders
Paul O’Brien at D&P Signs
Stuart Andrew and his team at Royal Leamington Spa College Joe Fraga
First published in 2022 by the Luxury Book Company. Unless otherwise stated, copyright of all text is the property of the LBC © 2022. Copyright of all images are the property of the respectively credited party. All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in any form of advertising, sales, promotion, publicity or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the Publisher.
The information in this book is based on material supplied to the LBC. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the LBC cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the Publisher’s consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a condition including these words being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The LBC has made all reasonable efforts to reach photographers, artists and / or copyright owners of images and text used in this book. Any omission is entirely unintentional and the Publisher will be pleased to insert appropriate acknowledgment in any subsequent edition. The LBC shall not be liable for any loss or claim in connection with any injury or other damage resulting from the use or handling of this book, save that this shall in no way exclude or limit the liability of the LBC for death or personal injury resulting from its own negligence.
CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION (CIP)
A CIP record for this book is available from the Publisher.
The Pelé Opus (ISBN 978-1-7391771-2-6)
Designed by Gary Maddison, Opus
Printed and bound in China