https://www.espn.co.uk/football/brazil-b...us-justice
When Pele made his international debut in 1957, Brazil were third in South America's pecking order behind Argentina and Uruguay. Fourteen years later, when Pele took off the yellow shirt for the last time after winning three World Cups in four tournaments, the ranking had changed.
Brazil had become the undoubted kings of football, revered not only for their triumphs but also for the stylish swagger with which they were achieved. And Pele was the leader of the pack, an ambassador for the global game whose exploits had helped turn the World Cup into one of the planet's great TV events.
All of this means that Pele's 80th birthday on Friday is a landmark to be celebrated, and an opportunity for today's footballers to dwell on the indisputable fact that they are standing on the shoulders of a giant who came into the world as Edson Arantes do Nascimento on Oct. 23, 1940. Not even he is entirely sure of how he picked up his nickname of Pele along the way.
Happy 80th birthday to a living legend and a true sporting icon! With three World Cup victories under his belt, he and his fellow Brazilians really put their country on the map as a true powerhouse of football.
The debate about who is the greatest player of all time will rage for as long as football itself continues to be played - but, over 40 years after he hung up his boots, the case for Pelé remains a very strong one.
When Pele made his international debut in 1957, Brazil were third in South America's pecking order behind Argentina and Uruguay. Fourteen years later, when Pele took off the yellow shirt for the last time after winning three World Cups in four tournaments, the ranking had changed.
Brazil had become the undoubted kings of football, revered not only for their triumphs but also for the stylish swagger with which they were achieved. And Pele was the leader of the pack, an ambassador for the global game whose exploits had helped turn the World Cup into one of the planet's great TV events.
All of this means that Pele's 80th birthday on Friday is a landmark to be celebrated, and an opportunity for today's footballers to dwell on the indisputable fact that they are standing on the shoulders of a giant who came into the world as Edson Arantes do Nascimento on Oct. 23, 1940. Not even he is entirely sure of how he picked up his nickname of Pele along the way.
Happy 80th birthday to a living legend and a true sporting icon! With three World Cup victories under his belt, he and his fellow Brazilians really put their country on the map as a true powerhouse of football.
The debate about who is the greatest player of all time will rage for as long as football itself continues to be played - but, over 40 years after he hung up his boots, the case for Pelé remains a very strong one.
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