Football existed in Brazil before Pele stepped in. Wow. But its history is incomprehensible without the figure who for many was the first major idol of the football masses. The one who gave it a planetary dimension. The only person to ever lift four World Cups. Because talking about the golden cup is directly proportional to talking about ‘O Rei’.
Edson Arantes de Nascimento (his father wanted to call him Edison after the inventor of the light bulb, but a mistake in the registry caused him to become Edson for posterity) On October 23, 1940, he saw the ‘light’ (pun intended) in the municipality of Tres Coraçoes in Minas Gerais. In fact, with his birth, his father Dondinho (former player of Atlético Mineiro) wanted to commemorate the first day electric light was installed in the neighborhood. Perhaps it was all these factors that made his ‘black pearl’ career light up the world.
DISCOVER
After starting out on the street like the vast majority of Brazilian talents of yesterday and today in Latin football, Pelé signed for Club Atlético Baurú at the age of 13. He had already moved to the state of Sao Paulo with his family. The step before joining Santos, the club of his life. Valdemar de Brito, who played with ‘canarinha’ in the 1934 World Cup, took him to ‘Peixe’. Everything was so meteoric.
TO MISS THE FIRST WORLD CUP
At the age of 17 he was called up to play his first World Cup in Sweden. And he was about to be kicked out because a doctor advised him not to travel because of his flat feet. Paradoxes of life. This competition would forever mark ‘O Rei’s career. He started as a substitute, but became the hero of the first World Cup in Brazilian history.
From there, everything collapsed for Edson. He became an idol. A beardless legend in Brazil. Santos to the top. Five Leagues in a row (1961 to 1965), two Copa Libertadores, two Intercontinental Cups. At a time when immigration to Europe was not the only way out. It was actually something abnormal. It was another football. He dominated every aspect of the game. He’s technically good, a relentless finisher, an insatiable headshot with tremendous leaping and finishing power.
AN OLD GROUP
And with ‘verdeamaralea’ the game is over. Defended two laudable generations, vintage. In 1962, at the age of 21, he conquered Chile and expanded his reign. In Mexico in 1970, after a ‘break’ in England (he was the subject of a ‘hunt’ in the ’66 World Cup) injured), he had already matured, closed the circle. In fact, it was his best performance on an individual level. The third star is the only star in history to achieve this. And we’ll see if we live to see the next one. He left artworks, anthology hats along the way.
Pelé held almost every goal record in the football world, until it happened to Leo Messi. He remains the top scorer in history between official and friendly matches (1,301 goals).