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goose 9:09 Thu Dec 29
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

RIP one of the greats.

Far Cough 4:12 Sat Dec 31
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Is it a cruel studio shadow or is Lineker sporting a Hitler tache?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/64097619


Jimmy T "As a person, he didn’t strike me as particularly likeable, and he certainly wasn’t humble and modest, but I guess he had nothing to be modest about."

Fucking hell are you sure? Practically everyone who has met Pele would describe him as humble and modest, fuck knows where you got your opinion of him from?

only1billybonds 8:01 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

The Brazil team at the 1970 world cup catured the imagination of everyone who loved the game and Pele was an integral part of that team.

Not sure how much more people actually saw him other than in thso 7 or 8 games. Yes his goal scoring record was second to none but we dont really know the true level of opposition he faced. Not doing him down, means nothing to me who is considered the goat, just adding a bit of perspective.

RIP.

Tomshardware 7:49 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

An all time great, I was born early 80's but Pele was still known by me and all my mates as one of if not the greatest to play the game.

Westham67 2:04 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Manuel 11:05 Fri Dec 30

1978 about the first world cup I took interest in even though England were not in it

That Netherlands team were banging in 30 yard goals for fun. Gemmills goal against them for Allys Army

Manuel 12:59 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Yes I know all that, I'm just saying generally he wasn't the quickest, say in a 100m sprint. Agree, him in full flight with the ball is like no other.

JimmyT 12:40 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

He’d have lost a 60 yard dash with Thierry Henry, I agree, but if you both asked them to dribble while running, I’d argue that Messi would be as quick if not quicker. It was his ability to run at top speed with the ball and change direction at top speed which made him so dangerous.

In any case, it’s pace over the first few yards which is more important in creating space for yourself.

Manuel 12:31 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

T - Yes, great acceleration over a couple of yards, but he wasn't totally rapid over a long distance when say motoring for 30 yards or so down the touchline, but certainly no slouch either don't get me wrong.

wd40 12:30 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Give me Devonshire on a muddy pitch looking like his staking on ice with the ball over a fat Pele any day.

JimmyT 12:27 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Manuel 8:17 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Messi not quick? Not now, obviously, but he was incredibly quick in his early and mid-20s. In fact, I have never seen anyone with such rapid acceleration. Watch some videos of him in his prime - electric over the first few yards.

Anyway, not the time for a GOAT debate.

Pelé was an almost mythical figure for me growing up in the 1980s. Always pretended to be him and Socrates on the school playground. He didn’t score over a thousand goals (you simply cannot count club friendlies) but an incredible goal scorer nonetheless and a brilliant playmaker. Incredible in the air for his size.

As a person, he didn’t strike me as particularly likeable, and he certainly wasn’t humble and modest, but I guess he had nothing to be modest about.

RIP

swindon hammer 12:26 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Manuel,

I suppose kids pretending to be him might be limited in comparison to the likes of Rush & Robson etc and it was maybe more of a rare occasion thing when the World Cup was on but I definitely have memories of me and others doing it. Which considering he was foreign and had retired nearly a decade before showed how his name transcended the world of football.

As you said, even many people that had zero interest in football knew the name Pele. He was the first global superstar footballer.

joe royal 12:22 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

My dad was a big fan of the man, so much so he used to shout for Brazil even when they were playing England.

I never saw him play so can’t really comment.

Like most of a certain age
Brooking, Gazza, Keegan, the cheat etc.

Manuel 12:16 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Swindon - Definitely agree that everyone knew him, everyone had heard of him even old grannies that had zero interest in football, he was huge. As I said earlier the first real footballing superstar and the first one on coloured tv too, plus he was known by just that one short name which added to the mystique. But like I say growing up I don't remember kids pretending to be him, it was more the here and now English players.

gph 12:06 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Ten years ago, because I often tried things on the pitch I didn't have the skill for, a couple of annoying gits nicknamed me Pele.

They were being ironic, of course, but it was long after Pele retired. And the annoying gits were much younger than me.

swindon hammer 12:06 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

My era as a young kid would have been mid to late 80s and kids would pretend to be footballers that played for teams they supported like Ian Rush, Glenn Hoddle & Bryan Robson but Pele was definitely thought of as this magical & almost mythical legend even a decade after he had retired.

We didn’t have football from the likes of the Italian & Spanish leagues on our TV’s back then so knowledge of foreign players was limited to the occasional player that was playing in England or when the World Cup/Euros came round and you had the sticker books.

Despite the lack of football knowledge of anything foreign, Pele was that one name everybody knew.

Manuel 11:55 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Sorry to hear that, Oxbore.

Mike Oxsaw 11:53 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

I don't think Pele's achievements were top of the agenda at any special needs schools in the 60s & 70s, so it's quite possible to have grown up without hearing his name mentioned.

Manuel 11:52 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Kevin Keegan was certainly one name the kids pretended to be, he was an absolute superstar in the 70's. Trevor Francis another one to a lesser extent. Dalglish, Brooking, Bryan Robson, etc, but not a Brazilian who was already retired who we never even saw play on TV.

Manuel 11:46 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Eerie - Like I said I may just can't remember, but when Russ was say 10 the kids were worshipping and pretending to be a player that had basically retired 15 years before that and had probably never even seen him play on tv?

I don't remember it like that, but it hardly matters.

Far Cough 11:43 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Just a poor man's Carlton F Cole

Eerie Descent 11:41 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

I don't remember it as vividly as Russ, but without doubt, Pele was always 'the' name when I was growing up, probably around the same time. Maradona as well, but as he says, Pele was the one. I had a couple of VHS of him, the only other football videos I had were a few West Ham, and Super Soccer Stars Of The 80's.

swindon hammer 11:31 Fri Dec 30
Re: Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) has bought the farm

Well said Russ. You are about 2 years older than me so we were kids in a similar era where Pele had already retired but when playing football at school or in the park in the 80s it was often Pele who kids would pretend to be even though we didn’t have the access to watch live football on TV all year round or have the internet to read up on these things.

The words mythical and legendary perfectly sum it up to what he meant for kids and adults all around the world.

He was the first footballing superstar on a global scale.

Those that want to compare him to Messi & Ronaldo just remember that you can only work with the tools or environment you are given/lived in.

Transport Messi & Ronaldo back to the 60s, 70s or 80s where they get next to no protection from the referees so get kicked all over the pitch, the pitches are no where near as good, there are no such thing as fitness coaches and chefs to advise on diets to prolong careers, medicine/physios weren’t as developed as they are now. Would they be as good?

It was a different world.

Pele was the best player of his era, Maradona was the best player of his era and Messi/Ronaldo were the best of their era.

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