Pele was football's Einstein

Pele receives the ball just inside the penalty area, a quick touch sends it looping over the defender; before the Swedes know it, the ball comes down in front of a perfectly positioned Pele, and he strikes a firm, low shot past the diving goalie into the back of the net. Goal. No, Goooaaaal.

The iconic finish came 55 minutes into the final of the 1958 World Cup. Pele scored a second goal in the 90th minute as Brazil beat Sweden 5-2 to win their first World Cup.

The king had arrived.

The 17-year-old had scored a hat-trick in the semifinal against France. One of the goals was a stunning volley from the edge of the box. Pele created the space for the shot by using his right thigh to guide a bouncing ball away from a French defender. With Pele, things like that happened all the time.

“He broke all the rules, all expectations,” says coach Silas Eduardo Severino. He ought to know. He shaped the career of Endrick Felipe, the Brazilian wunderkind hailed as the next Pele and Real Madrid’s latest acquisition. “He was Einstein with the ball,” says Silas. “People were not prepared for what he did.” He was synonymous with unparalleled greatness, with Santos, with Brazil.

There was just no equalling the great man with the smile and the goals that were thrilling the world. Many old reels remain, now available to more people and analysts than during Pele’s time.

“All manuals of football begin with Pele,” says Silas. “He was the perfect player, and he became one all by himself. He did not have a famous trainer. His running with the ball, his long dribble, his short dribble, his play, the way he would launch, his assists, assists with his head, assists changing legs, he introduced many elements to football; what players do today, Pele did it first. Pele’s style was creative and groundbreaking. He revolutionised a game that was about strength and power into a game about skill and technique.”

Players were limited in their ability to dribble and create scoring chances, and goals were often scored from set-pieces or long balls rather than through individual skill and creativity. Pele changed all that. He inspired a new generation of players to focus on skill and technique and to strive for that Pele perfection. His influence can still be seen in the modern game, in today’s best players.

“He had the elements of Maradona, of Mbappe, of Messi,” says Silas, “but no one has all the elements of Pele.” His play downfield, his goals with the head, the heights to which he jumped, he was a complete player.

In addition to his skill and goalscoring ability, Pele also shone for his intelligence and tactical awareness on the pitch. He was able to read the game well and make smart decisions, and he was able to adapt his play to different situations and opponents.

Pele was a team player who was able to contribute to the overall success of his team and was respected by his teammates for his leadership and professionalism.

In the 1970 World Cup, a battle-scarred, 29-year-old Pele scored four and assisted six goals―over half of the team’s total―as Brazil lifted a third World Cup. The semifinal match against Uruguay saw one of Pele’s most famous plays. As Pele was running on to a pass, the goalkeeper charged up to confront him. The Brazilian let the ball run to the keeper’s left and went to his right. He ran around the keeper to collect the ball and shot on the turn. But, the shot went just wide as he had turned a tad too much.

In one of the highest stadiums in the world in La Paz, Bolivia―at an altitude of 3,637 metres above sea level―where visiting teams have difficulty breathing, 31-year-old Pele scored one of his most beautiful goals. It was a moment of pure magic. Running on to a dropping ball, he turned away from goal to strike a bicycle kick past a hapless goalkeeper.

Some of Pele’s best goals were not recorded on camera. This includes a goal in 1959 which is the great man’s favourite. It was later digitally recreated based on accounts by players, fans and journalists who were present. As per the recreation, Pele flicked the ball over three defenders inside the box, then lobbed the keeper and headed into an empty net. Another goal not caught on tape came to be known as “Gol de Placa” because it got a commemorative plaque at the Maracana Stadium. As per reports, he ran nearly the length of the field, beating multiple opponents before scoring.

As a leader, Pele was a natural. Calm and composed, he was able to motivate his teammates with his words and actions. His humble and gracious nature made him well-respected by his teammates and admired by fans around the world.

Johan Cruyff, one of the all-time greats, and a proponent of Total Football, had this to say about Pele: “Pele was the most complete player I have ever seen. He could do everything on the pitch―he could score goals, make assists, and defend. He was a true leader on the pitch and had an incredible work ethic. Pele had an incredible range of skills and could do things with the ball that no one else could.”

The words of the best young striker in world football today, Erling Haaland, who has 27 goals from 21 games for Manchester City so far this season, say it all: “Everything you see any player doing, Pele did it first. RIP.”

MAJOR INDIVIDUAL SPORTING HONOURS

At World Cups

1958 retrospective best young player award; 1970 retrospective Golden Ball

At Copa America

1959 best player and top scorer

Retrospective Ballons d’Or*

1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970

Athlete of the century

(IOC) in 1999

Player of the century

(elected by Ballon d’Or winners) in 1999

Player of the century

joint winner** (FIFA) in 2000

Player of the century

(IFFHS) in 2000

*As per an internationalised reevaluation of the Ballon d’Or, which became a global award only in 2007. Original winners were allowed to retain their awards

**FIFA committee chose Pele. But the award was shared since Diego Maradona led an internet poll