World champion 1970: Pelé on the football throne
Photo: SvenSimon
His first coach was his father, the first ball he made himself. So began his rise to the king of suppleness. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, called Pelé, is now celebrating his 80th birthday.
SIt was given an unforgettable name while at school. Because he apparently pronounced the name of his favorite player Bilé from Vasco da Gama too exuberantly, his teammates called him Pele. Today this name is a global brand. The three-time world champions in 1958, 1962 and 1970 are identified like no other with the era in which Brazil rose to become the world power of football. And Pelé was “O Rei” – the king.
The rise of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, as Pelé’s real name is called, to perhaps the first global player in football began with the rise of the mass medium of television. When he prepared one of the most beautiful goals in World Cup history with a perfect pass in the 1970 final against Italy in a 4-1 triumph with his inimitable suppleness, the yellow and blue colors of the Brazilian soccer jersey shone across the screens for many people for the first time. The German sporting goods manufacturers Puma and Adidas discovered its charisma, Puma signed Pelé. A clever move.
.
