82 years of glory: King Pelé, the man who marked football with his story of struggle and success, has died

December 29, 2022 will forever be marked on the calendars. Not by a milestone. Not for a final, nor for a special match. It is the day that Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the most iconic footballer in history, known as Pelé, passed away from earthly life. Accompanied by his family, after weeks of hospitalization, the triple world champion died yesterday at the age of 82, following colon cancer. The news was posted by his daughter Kely, who wrote: “All we are is because of you. We love you so much. Rest in peace.” The message was published on his Instagram account, accompanied by a very moving photograph, where the hands of the children of 0 Rey intertwined with those of his father.

Sport, like everything over time, has changed. Today, it’s normal to see goals happening on the other side of the world in real time. It didn’t happen like this before. Let’s imagine being in 1958, in Sweden, immersed in a different society from today. A team that has crossed the Atlantic comes in order to settle its large outstanding debt. Among the yellow figures stands out a child. Only 17 and a skill that, to Europeans, seems otherworldly. It’s Pele. Today, mentioning it is a universal language. And his name is now eternal. At 82, he died. He had been complicated with cancer for weeks. The world is shocked.

Edson, your name. Dico, his first nickname. The one given to him by the children with whom he played barefoot in Bauru, when being a footballer was only a dream. He was born in Três Corações, a city that today has just over 70,000 inhabitants. Of course, in 1940, the year Pelé first landed in the world, it was much smaller. Being a baby, he moved to named Bauru with his family.

Son of João Ramos do Nascimento, “Dondinho”, footballer frustrated by his knee, and Maria Celeste Arantes. He promised his father that he would win the World Cup, when he saw him cry after the Maracanazo. By now everyone knows this story. He was a fan of a goalkeeper – who would have guessed it – named Bilé, as he pronounced it “Pile”, they nicknamed him Pelé.

His name has reached every corner of the world. As in the days of the minstrels of the Middle Ages, Pelé was a myth that was transmitted orally. Not everyone had the privilege of seeing him play, but most were familiar with his traits.

Fast as a gazelle, hawk vision, aerial game of an airplane and power of a cannon. He was defined as the perfect footballer. He scored goals, but he also created play for his team. When he was on the pitch, his teammates were better. The specialists were fascinated, the fans, shocked.

It was not the first Brazilian idol, but the most transversal. Ever since he made his debut in the 1958 World Cup, in the third game of the group stage, there was no footballer at the time who didn’t know who Pele was. The phenomenon has crossed borders. In Brazil, he already had a promising status. Before turning 16, he converted his first goals. That’s why they took him to the planetary rendezvous as a minor. That’s why they didn’t drop him from the call despite having a knee problem.

In Sweden, he was absent from the first two games. But Since his debut against the Soviet Union, at the end of the group stage, an escalation has begun which will only stop on the day of his farewell.

In 1959, he began to tour with Santos, his club. He visited fourteen countries. He was the star, the reason for the full stadiums. During these early years of his career, season after season, Pelé scored more goals than games played. He made two or three per game.

He was one of the first globalized footballers. Phenomenon that Alfredo Di Stefano enjoyed at that time. O Rei did it without ever playing for a European team. His personal numbers are incredible, but as a group he also pulled it all off : six times the Brasileirao, two Libertadores, always accompanied by the Intercontinental and countless São Paulo championships, in total there were twenty titles in Santos. To this must be added a North American league and, like no one else, three FIFA World Cups.

The expectation that was raised in Chile for the 1962 Cup is indescribable. Pelé, the king of football, arrived in the country with his best duo at the time: Garrincha. However, one of the few injuries suffered by the number 10 was a groin injury, which deprived him of fully playing his second World Cup. In the end Brazil won the same, Garrincha acted as a figurehead and the star replacement was Amarildo.

The World Cups were going well for Brazil. For 66 they arrived favorites. With the base from 1962, plus the coach from 1958, Vicente Feola, who was returning after Aymoré Moreira, who led them to Chile, they arrived in England. However, the failure is resounding: a victory and two defeats. Pelé kicked and the plane returned home in the first phase for the second time in history – the first was in 1934. Everything went wrong. Pelé, overwhelmed by the last two experiments, backed down. He was not yet in the Canarinha.

Of course, his story cannot end like this. In 1969, he returned to the verdeamarela, with Joao Saldanha at the helm. With the former Botafogo coach, Pelé had public confrontations. He did not like the way he carried things in selection. While also battling with Joao Havelange, the manager opted to dismiss him and track down former footballer, Mario Zagallo. Former partner of a large part of the workforce. El Lobo held the Saldanha base and thus the team of ten appeared. With Pelé as a banner. The best selection in history, for many. In Mexico, Brazil beat everyone, scored 19 goals in six games and left a mark that, fifty years later, is still unbeatable.

At 29, the king is trying for the crown for the third time. At the bar of 30, Pelé left his team, now forever. In Santos the tours continued, but the titles ceased to abound. In the mid-1970s, his career took a turn.

Pelé’s passage through North America began in convulsion. The crack wanted to live in peace. Out of football. However, a series of bad investments forced him to postpone his retirement.

The bank took more than forty properties from him. That’s why he accepted the million dollar offer that Clive Toye put on the table. The businessman had tried to convince him to go to the United States in the past, however, the response was always negative.

When Pelé made his Cosmos debut, he had been out of action for a semester. It was no obstacle to score a goal and provide an assist on his debut. His presence caused the Cosmos to attract twice as many people to the stadiums and other world figures decided to end their careers in the northern country.

When he decided it was time to say goodbye to football for good, he was 36 years old. More than 75,000 people attended New York’s Giants Stadium. The game was between Santos FC and New York Cosmos. The 10 played one side for each team and the North American cast won by two to one. Pelé scored one of many.

After leaving the profession, Pelé – as everyone expected – remained linked to football for the rest of his life. In 2016, France Football magazine assured that If the South Americans had opted for the Ballon d’Or during the Brazilian’s time, he would have had seven: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1970. To compensate for the rule change, the publication gave him an honorary title in 2013.

He was named Citizen of the World by the United Nations in 1977, the same institution that granted him the rank of Ambassador for Ecology and the Environment. He was Brazil’s Extraordinary Sports Minister between 1994 and 1998. FIFA chose him as the best of the century in 2000 and in 2020 he was included as an attacking midfielder for the historic Ballon d’Or Dream Team.

It was Edson. It was Pele. The incomparable. Who will forever enter the discussions of the best. The footballer who brought eternal joy to Brazil. A crack that filled stadiums around the world with people who just wanted to see it.