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In 1958 a 17 year old boy-genius was unveiled to the world in Sweden at the sixth FIFA World Cup. He was the youngest player to ever be named in a World Cup squad and he went on to rewrite the record books and over his career he would go on to become a household name and one of the most recognisable humans on the planet. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento he would be affectionately be known across the world simply as Pelé – the greatest football player of all time.

Table of Contents

Pelé’ - The Opus consists of 10 chapters plus a Foreword by Sir Geoff Hurst The Opus consists of 270 images including images Pelé’s personal archives.

Foreword

Foreword by Sir Geoff Hurst I am often asked who was the best player I ever played against. The answer has been the same for more than fifty years. It was Pelé, the greatest player of my generation or any other generation.

In Conversation With a Legend

For all Pelé’s achievements in football, whether for his beloved Santos, New York Cosmos or for the Brazil national team, his iconic standing as the greatest of all time is down to one thing above all else – the World Cup. He would appear in four, of course, with differing experiences, but by the time he hung up his international boots he had achieved a World Cup set of records that survive to this day. He is synonymous with the greatest football tournament in the world.

The King

PELÉ. Its just one word, but it is all people need to hear. It is a name through the ages, a name that will be recognised for years, decades, centuries after his passing. He is the greatest and, although there have been many contenders to his throne, he remains ‘The King’. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, his full name, is still widely considered the best footballer in history and one of the greatest sportsmen of all time, even though he last kicked a ball in anger in 1977.

The Beginning

EDSON ARANTES DO NASCIMENTO was born on October 23rd, 1940. His father, João Ramos do Nascimento, was a footballer for various teams in Brazil including Fluminese. His playing nickname was ‘Dondinho’. Edson’s mother’s name was Celeste. His parents decided to name the eldest of their two children after the American inventor, Thomas Edison. His family called him ‘Dico,’ but he soon obtained a new name which would, in time, become famous around the world to this day. Pelé.

1958

Brazil have gone on to become the most successful team in the history of the FIFA World Cup, when they arrived in Sweden for the 1958 tournament, they had yet to win the trophy even once. Germany had won it once, Italy twice and, worst of all, near neighbours Uruguay had won it twice, the second time beating hosts Brazil in the final in 1950 inside the Maracanã. The game known as the ‘Maracanãza’ and the 2-1 defeat haunted the football team and country afterwards.

1962

PELÉ’S impact on the back of the 1958 World Cup reverberated not just around his home country of Brazil, but around the world. In the rapidly expanding age of television and with the first real seeds of commercialism spawning he became the first global black sporting superstar. Still a teenager, of course, on his return to his homeland Pelé became the most famous and most feted man in the country, and everyone suddenly wanted a piece of him.

1966

PELÉ did not play again for Brazil until April the following year. His stock, however, had not fallen a jot, despite his contribution to the 1962 World Cup-winning campaign being peripheral. He was still considered the greatest player in Brazil – despite Garrincha, Vava and the rest – and indeed in the world, despite the likes of Bobby Charlton, Eusébio, Lev Yashin and the ageing Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano.

1970

The 1970 World Cup was looming and for a country in turmoil after a coup earlier that decade had evolved into a full-blown dictatorship, football represented an escape from reality. Although the oppression that took place in the streets did not filter down to top footballers, Pelé and his teammates understood that they could help the collective well-being of the nation by returning Brazil to winning ways.

Santos and Cosmos

PELÉ’S club career was as impressive as his international career. It broke all records in the history of club football worldwide between 1956 and 1977, a 21-year period when he played for just two teams. He made an impact at Santos in 1958, let alone for his World Cup-winning national team, breaking into the starting eleven and helping the club win the league championship that year. Pelé scored 58 goals during the campaign, a Brazilian league record that stands to this day.

Legacy

Even after Pele's retirement he was persuaded to play eight exhibition games, scoring three times, but his footballing days were finally over. It was not just his contemporaries who saw him as the greatest. This tag has stayed with him ever since as football has been passed through the generations. “This debate about the player of the century is absurd,” stated Zico who played in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups. “There’s only possible answer: Pelé.

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