Pele was Brazil’s greatest ambassador

It was not only the footballing community, nor the sporting fraternity at large, that felt a huge sense of loss and despair when Edson Arantes do Nascimento departed this world on December 29 2022.          

It speaks volumes about the universal respect and worldwide adulation commanded by the world’s greatest footballer, better known by his nickname Pelé, that his passing was mourned by presidents, artists and people from all walks of life across the globe.

Along with the legendary Muhammad Ali, Pelé was the only other personality who could lay claim to be a truly global figure who was loved and respected by virtually everyone around the world.

Such was his status and profile that it’s difficult to exaggerate and overstate the great Brazilian’s contribution to his country and to football.

As Neymar, Brazil’s current joint record scorer with Pelé on 77 goals, poignantly stated in an Instagram tribute: “Before Pelé, ‘10’ was just a number. I would say that before Pelé, football was just a sport. Pelé changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, to black people and especially; he gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the king! He is gone, but his magic will remain.” 

Pelé was Brazil’s greatest ambassador. First, it was as a highly successful footballer who, at the age of 17, played a key role in delivering the first of three World Cups to his country. Then,  after his retirement in 1977, as a global ambassador. He would help Brazil claim two further World Cups, in 1962 and 1970.

It was as a callow teenager that Pelé announced his arrival on the international footballing scene when he netted six goals in Brazil’s final three games that saw the Selecao lift the coveted golden trophy in Sweden in 1958.

As for being an unknown teenager at that 1958 World Cup, Pelé later remarked that he was so skinny that “quite a few people thought I was the mascot!”

What a “mascot” he turned out to be. As his profile rose, particularly after helping to transform Santos, a club he joined in 1956, from a small coastal outfit into one of the most famous names in football, the Brazilian government was moved to act to protect their most valuable asset.  

In 1961 the country’s president, Janio Quadros, issued an order declaring Pelé a non-exportable national treasure to stave off interest from top European clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United. 

In a glorious 21-year career Pelé transcended the game of football like no player before or since as he rose to become one of the first global icons of the 20th century. With his winning smile and an admirable humility that charmed legions of fans, he became more famous than many Hollywood stars, popes or presidents.

The legendary striker was named “Athlete of the Century” by the International Olympic Committee and co-Football Player of the Century, along with Diego Maradona, by Fifa.

Part of Pelé’s gift was to understand the enormity of his talent and to feel totally comfortable with the responsibilities that accompanied it. He assumed his status of greatness with such consummate ease that he seemed to be born for the task. 

With magnificent skills, a warm smile and charming personality, Pelé gave expression to Jogo Bonito (the beautiful game), the catalyst that transformed football into the world’s most popular sport. As Jose Mourinho, one of the game’s most successful coaches in the modern era, once said: “Pelé is football. The two are indivisible.”

While many are wondering if Pelé was greater than Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, it’s worth remembering that it’s a futile exercise comparing the qualities and skills of great players across different eras.

When Pelé was in his prime through the 1960s football was played with stitched leather balls that became heavier when wet. They didn’t have the aerodynamics of the modern ball; the pitches were much heavier and less manicured than today’s scientifically prepared billiard-top surfaces that comprise a carefully calibrated mixture of synthetic and proper grass; the training and fitness regimes were different, as were the availability of the myriad support staff like nutritionists, performance analysts, GPS trackers and sports psychologists at the disposal of the modern player.

Yet despite all the seeming disadvantages, Pelé is still universally saluted as the game’s greatest player, even by those who did not have the privilege to see him display his skills live and rely on grainy film footage to get their fix of the world’s greatest footballer.

What that footage does show is the nutmeg, the Cruyff-turn, the sublime control and leaping ability that he used to score with headers, and that Pele was way ahead of his time.

But even more important was Pelé’s ability to connect with his fan base. There are numerous accounts of him, in his post-playing days, defying his security detail to pose for pictures and sign autographs for adoring fans. 

Pelé’s name will be etched in football history. He left an incomparable legacy in the world’s most popular sport. Thanks for the memories number 10, rest well!