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On the 80th birthday of the player of the century: How I tried to decipher the footballer Pelé

2020-10-23T10:16:27.322Z


Considered the best player in history, he won the World Cup three times with Brazil. But what made Pelé stand out - and how does he compare to Ronaldo and Messi?


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Love affair: Pelé and football

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Getty Images / Popperfoto

At the beginning of the week we sit together in our editorial conference.

Pelé will be 80 next Friday, says a colleague.

When he hears the name, he has to think of his legendary header in the World Cup final, says another, but he is amazed at how little else he knows about the footballer Pelé.

I feel different: I know next to nothing about him.

How did he score his goals?

I did not know it.

The greatest, probably best-known footballer in history - he was a mystery to me. 

I spend a lot of time watching football.

But these are current games: Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga.

Games that are technically, tactically and athletically at the highest level.

Well, everyone knows a little bit about Pelé: three-time world champion with Brazil, striker, scored many, many goals, is considered the best ever.

Next to Diego Maradona.

While I can assess the Argentine better, perhaps because his active time and my childhood (born 1985) are closer together, I perceived Pelé mainly as an advertising figure and recently even as a musician.

Both are not necessarily to his advantage.

The search for clues begins on YouTube.

It should be whole games, just no highlight clips that only show what is successful.

I'm interested in how he moves, what decisions he makes.

Whether he would still be a world-class player by today's standards, Messi standards.

The best. 

I'll start with the 1970 World Cup final, Brazil versus Italy, final score: 4: 1.

That Brazilian team is perhaps the best in World Cup history.

"Pelé at the height of his football" says the video description (here you can find the video), Pelé at the zenith of his ability.

He's almost 30.

The first minutes of the game are a surprise.

Anyone who, like me, gets to experience Lionel Messi week after week is initially disappointed by Pelé.

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Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2020-10-23

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