PELE, still going strong at the age of 80

EDSON Arantes do Nascimento ( Pelé to all football lovers) was born in the village of Trés Coraçóes, Minas Gerais in Brazil on October 23, 1940, and therefore celebrated his 80th birthday last week.

A brilliant footballer, he is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time and was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. Indeed, during his playing days, Pelé was for a period the bestpaid athlete in the world.

In 1999, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics ( IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award. That same year, he was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. According to the IFFHS, Pelé is the most successful top division scorer of all times with 541 goals in 560 appearances. And his career total of 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which included friendlies, is a Guinness World Record.

Pelé began playing for Santos in his home country at age 15 and was in Brazil’s national team at 16. During his international career, he won three

World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, being the only player ever to do so, and is the alltime leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games.

At club level he is Santos' record goalscorer, and led them to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores.

Known for connecting the phrase ‘ The Beautiful Game’ with football, Pelé's electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals made him a star around the world, and his teams toured internationally in order to take full advantage of his popularity.

Since retiring in 1977, Pelé has been a worldwide ambassador for football and has made many acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the Honorary President of the New York Cosmos.

To sum up he averaged almost a goal a game throughout his career, was adept at striking the ball with either foot and was no mean header of the ball either. Predominantly a striker, he was a brilliant dribbler who could also drop deep and take on a playmaking role, providing assists with his vision and passing ability.

In Brazil, he is hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football and for his outspoken support of policies that improve the social conditions of the poor. Throughout his career and in his retirement, Pelé received several individual and team awards for his performance in the field, his recordbreaking achievements, and legacy in the sport.

In June 1980, I had the pleasure and, indeed the honour, of facing the great man himself in front of 65,000 fans in a press versus celebrity XI challenge match prior to the Spanish Cup final between Real Madrid and Castilla at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. This was quite an occasion, one I’ll never forget as long as I live.

A belated happy birthday to you my friend…