User:Tuanminh01/Template10
In his early career, he played in a variety of attacking positions. Although he usually operated inside the penalty area as a main striker or centre forward, his wide range of skills also allowed him to play in a more withdrawn role, as an inside forward or second striker, or out wide.[1][2][3] In his later career, he took on more of a deeper playmaking role behind the strikers, often functioning as an attacking midfielder.[4][5] Pelé's unique playing style combined speed, creativity, and technical skill with physical power, stamina, and athleticism. His excellent technique, balance, flair, agility, and dribbling skills enabled him to beat opponents with the ball, and frequently saw him use sudden changes of direction and elaborate feints in order to get past players, such as his trademark move, the drible da vaca.[1][3][6] Another one of his signature moves was the paradinha, or little stop.[note 1][7]
Despite his relatively small stature, 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m),[8] he excelled in the air, due to his heading accuracy, timing, and elevation.[9][10][6][11] Renowned for his bending shots, he was also an accurate free-kick taker, and penalty taker, although he often refrained from taking penalties, stating that he believed it to be a cowardly way to score.[12][13]
Pelé was also known to be a fair and highly influential player, who stood out for his charismatic leadership and sportsmanship on the pitch. His warm embrace of Bobby Moore following the Brazil vs England game at the 1970 World Cup is viewed as the embodiment of sportsmanship, with The New York Times stating the image "captured the respect that two great players had for each other. As they exchanged jerseys, touches and looks, the sportsmanship between them is all in the image. No gloating, no fist-pumping from Pelé. No despair, no defeatism from Bobby Moore."[14] Pelé also earned a reputation for often being a decisive player for his teams, due to his tendency to score crucial goals in important matches.[15][16][17]
Reception and legacy
[edit]"Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory: instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will have 15 centuries."
"My name is Ronald Reagan, I'm the President of the United States of America. But you don't need to introduce yourself, because everyone knows who Pelé is."
—US President Ronald Reagan, greeting Pelé at the White House.[18]
Pelé is one of the most lauded players in history and is frequently ranked the best player ever.[19][20][21] Among his contemporaries, Dutch star Johan Cruyff stated; "Pelé was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic."[18] Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Carlos Alberto Torres opined; "His great secret was improvisation. Those things he did were in one moment. He had an extraordinary perception of the game."[18] Tostão, his strike partner at the 1970 World Cup; "Pelé was the greatest – he was simply flawless. And off the pitch he is always smiling and upbeat. You never see him bad-tempered. He loves being Pelé."[18] His Brazilian teammate Clodoaldo commented on the adulation he witnessed; "In some countries they wanted to touch him, in some they wanted to kiss him. In others they even kissed the ground he walked on. I thought it was beautiful, just beautiful."[18]
Pelé is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20 years. There's no one to compare with him.
— West Germany's 1974 World Cup-winning captain Franz Beckenbauer.[22]
Former Real Madrid and Hungary star Ferenc Puskás stated; "The greatest player in history was Di Stéfano. I refuse to classify Pelé as a player. He was above that."[18] Just Fontaine, French striker and leading scorer at the 1958 World Cup; "When I saw Pelé play, it made me feel I should hang up my boots."[18] England's 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore commented: "Pelé was the most complete player I've ever seen, he had everything. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Quick. Powerful. Could beat people with skill. Could outrun people. Only five feet and eight inches tall, yet he seemed a giant of an athlete on the pitch. Perfect balance and impossible vision. He was the greatest because he could do anything and everything on a football pitch. I remember Saldanha the coach being asked by a Brazilian journalist who was the best goalkeeper in his squad. He said Pelé. The man could play in any position".[9] Former Manchester United striker and member of England's 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning team Sir Bobby Charlton stated; "I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player."[18] During the 1970 World Cup, when Manchester United defender Paddy Crerand (who was part of the ITV panel) was asked; "How do you spell Pelé?", he replied with the response; "Easy: G-O-D."[18]
Accolades
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Selo_Pel%C3%A9_1000_gols_10_cts.jpg/170px-Selo_Pel%C3%A9_1000_gols_10_cts.jpg)
Since retiring, Pelé has continued to be lauded by players, coaches, journalists and others. Brazilian attacking midfielder Zico, who represented Brazil at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup, stated; "This debate about the player of the century is absurd. There's only one possible answer: Pelé. He's the greatest player of all time, and by some distance I might add".[22] French three time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini said; "There's Pelé the man, and then Pelé the player. And to play like Pelé is to play like God." Joint FIFA Player of the Century, Argentina's 1986 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona stated; "It's too bad we never got along, but he was an awesome player".[22] Prolific Brazilian striker Romário, winner of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and player of the tournament; "It's only inevitable I look up to Pelé. He's like a God to us".[22] Five-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo said: "Pelé is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pelé", while José Mourinho, two-time UEFA Champions League winning manager, commented; "I think he is football. You have the real special one – Mr. Pelé."[23] Real Madrid honorary president and former player, Alfredo Di Stéfano, opined: "The best player ever? Pelé. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pelé was better".[24]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Pele_libro_elegido.jpg/120px-Pele_libro_elegido.jpg)
Presenting Pelé the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award, former South African president Nelson Mandela said; "To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full."[25] US politician and political scientist Henry Kissinger stated, "Performance at a high level in any sport is to exceed the ordinary human scale. But Pelé's performance transcended that of the ordinary star by as much as the star exceeds ordinary performance."[26] After a reporter asked if his fame compared to that of Jesus, Pelé quipped, "There are parts of the world where Jesus Christ is not so well known."[27]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Alckmin_prestigia_inaugura%C3%A7%C3%A3o_do_Museu_Pel%C3%A9_em_Santos._%2814251157108%29.jpg/220px-Alckmin_prestigia_inaugura%C3%A7%C3%A3o_do_Museu_Pel%C3%A9_em_Santos._%2814251157108%29.jpg)
In 1999, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) voted Pelé the World Player of the Century. That same year, the International Olympic Committee elected him the Athlete of the Century. According to the IFFHS, Pelé is the most successful league goal-scorer in the world, scoring 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and tour games. In 1999, Time magazine named Pelé one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the highest-paid athlete in the world.[28] Pelé's "electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals" made him a star around the world. To take full advantage of his popularity, his teams toured internationally.[29] During his career, he became known as "The Black Pearl" (A Pérola Negra), "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei).[30] In 2014, the city of Santos inaugurated the Pelé museum – Museu Pelé – which displays a 2,400 piece collection of Pelé memorabilia.[31] Approximately $22 million was invested in the construction of the museum, housed in a 19th-century mansion.[32]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
NYTimes
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Just who is the best No.10 of all-time
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Pelé and Maradona – two very different number tens". FIFA. 25 January 2001. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ Pelé 2008, p. 41.
- ^ Pastorin, Darwin. "PELE (Edson Arantes do Nascimento)" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ a b Marino, Giovanni (21 April 2010). "La vita mancina di Mario Corso "Io, tra Herrera, Pelè e Berselli"". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ a b Pelé 2008, p. 112.
- ^ "Pele Player Profile". ESPN FC. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ^ a b Malley, Frank (23 December 1999). "Pele, the perfect player". The Independent. London.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Maradona's greatness
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Radogna, Fiorenzo (1 October 2017). "40 anni fa l'addio al calcio di Pelé: la storia di O Rei, tre volte campione del mondo". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ Miller, Nick (15 June 2015). "Pele Top 10: World Cup glory, with Bobby Moore and goals, goals goals". ESPN FC. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ Crosetti, Maurizio (26 May 2014). "Palleggio volante ed esterno destro il mondo conobbe il bambino Pelé". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "A Shot That Captured the Bigger Meaning in Sports". The New York Times. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- ^ Longhi, Lorenzo (18 October 2010). "Il mastino Burgnich: "Il mio Pelé, il migliore di tutti"" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ Fiori, Stefano (27 June 2018). "Mondiali, la maledizione dei campioni in carica continua" (in Italian). foxsports.it. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ Motisi, Domenico (5 October 2017). "Da Pelé a Grosso, i 20 calciatori più determinanti e decisivi ai Mondiali" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cite error: The named reference
FIFA quotes
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Pele: The greatest of them all". FIFA. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "Pele tops World Cup legends poll". BBC News. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "The Best of the Best". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d "The King of football". FIFA. 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ "Pele and Mourinho win BBC awards". BBC. 11 December 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "Alfredo Di Stefano: Pele is better than Messi and Ronaldo". ESPN. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Speech by Nelson Mandela at the Inaugural Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award, Monaco 2000". nelsonmandela.org. 25 May 2000. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- ^ Kissinger, Henry (14 June 1999). "PELE: The Phenomenon". Time. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ Kirby, Gentry (2003). "Pele, King of Futbol". ESPN. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ Michelle Roehm McCann (2012). "Boys Who Rocked the World: Heroes from King Tut to Bruce Lee". p. 140. Simon and Schuster
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
britannica
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
pelebio
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Pelé Museum is opened with a 2,400-piece collection and a hologram of the King of Football". Copa 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ "Brazil inaugurates Pele Museum". ESPN. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
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