"He's our Football King," Sonny Anderson smiles, eyes twinkling when it comes to talking about Pelé.
Passed by OM, Monaco and Lyon, Barça too, the ex-Brazilian international (6 caps, 1 goal) first wants to say thank you to his illustrious elder, "an example".
Aged 50, he has never seen the King play in a stadium.
“My father, the elders who saw him play told me so many stories… I only saw him on video but I grew up trying to copy what he was doing, his gestures, his technique, speed, handling of the ball… It is an example that I have always followed in my career ”, assures the consultant of beIN Sports.
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And beyond the national team, it is in particular the performances of Pelé with Santos which rocked the youth of the person concerned.
“My father, who was lucky enough to play against him in the 1960s, told me that the stadiums never empty, even when Santos was behind, because the public knew that Pelé could make the difference. any time, he says.
The Pelé of the selection, everyone knows him.
But at Santos, it was exceptional… Everything he did in selection, he did in club.
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“He was early. His speed, his dribbling… he was already a complete player in the 1950s, he had everything ”
Sonny Anderson
What made Pelé so strong?
“What makes all geniuses strong: he was ahead.
His speed, his dribbling… he was already a complete player in the 1950s, he had it all.
Left foot, right foot, dribbling stopped or at full speed, the power of his header, passer, too… He was ahead technically, but also physically, at a time when we did not train like today ” , he emphasizes.
And to sum up: “In those years, he was the perfect player.
Everything you look for in a footballer today, he had it back then.
Which answers the question of whether Pelé could shine today.
"Most of his qualities were innate, continues the former resident of Ligue 1. Obviously, he worked, like all the great, but most of his strengths, his qualities, were born.
This is what is impressive… I have not yet seen a footballer do what he could do in his time.
"Sonny Anderson also highlights the" simplicity "of the King, each time he was able to meet him and quite simply his" admiration "for the Brazilian legend, his idol, that of a whole people.
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