Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

There's a 1 , a 10, a 20, a 40 and an 80 so far on this thread.
All a bit mathematical and no mention of the 4 magic letters.
P...
 
Google the 1962 Intercontinental Cup (World Club Championship), this was taken seriously back then and that year was Benfica v Santos. Santos won the first leg in Brazil 3-2 with Pele scoring twice, Benfica were widely accepted as favorites to turn it around in Lisbon. After 77 minutes of that 2nd leg the score was Benfica 0 Santos 5, Pele scoring a hat-trick. Benfica score twice late on for a 5-2 final score but Pele stole the show in one of his finest but often overlooked performances. The Portuguese never forgot that night and when they came up against Brazil in the '66 World Cup, they kicked Pele up & down Goodison Park assisted by a lax English referee and sadly, he took no further part in the tournament.
 
I have a large collection of butt-plugs!

I was too young to have seen him play, but the clips you see from his first WC in 58 onwards, you can see how good he was.

Touch, strength, composure, instincts, vision, awareness, aerial prowess, he seemed to excel at everything.

I believe he was also pretty handy, pardon the pun, in goals but thankfully for all lovers of the game, played outfield.
 
Was 8 yrs old and watched the best team ive ever seen win the World Cup in 1970. The excitement of live pics from Mexico, the theme tune, the wee Vivo live logo on top of tv screen, the commentary and pundits panel. The zenith of my football watching life i thought. Supporting the Rangers has brought me many highs and some lows, but seeing Pele, Rivelino, Tostao, Carlos Alberto et al , to me , will forever remain the golden age of football.
 

His dummy round the goalkeeper is still one of best things I’ve seen from a footballer and he actually put it past the post!!

The whole build up to the 4th goal in the final and his casual lay off for Carlos Alberto was fabulous.
As above with his dummy, the shot from half way, the Gordon Banks save, I think I can recall more from the 1970 World Cup than any other since!!
 
He was still a cocaine ravaged imbecile though who, for all his greatness as a player is not held in the same esteem as Pele on the world stage.
Maradona is the greatest, without a doubt.

What he achieved with Argentina and in Naples will never be equalled, it’s loaves and fishes stuff.

Pele never played in another country, bar a year or 2 playing exhibitions in the States, he played alongside a team of world class players with Brazil too.
 
I watched a video of his career years ago and he was more than capable of defending himself and dishing out some deserved retribution against his transgressors.

As long as the game is played, he will always be enthroned in the inner sanctum, of the pantheon of football heroes.

Happy birthday Pele!
 
Maradona is the greatest, without a doubt.

What he achieved with Argentina and in Naples will never be equalled, it’s loaves and fishes stuff.

Pele never played in another country, bar a year or 2 playing exhibitions in the States, he played alongside a team of world class players with Brazil too.
All i'll say is that Pele at the age of 17 was as influential to Brazil in the 1958 World Cup as Maradona was to Argentina at the age of 25 in the 1986 World Cup.
 
The only autograph I've ever asked for was this legend. Glasgow Airport 1989, he'd opened the FIFA Youth Championship at Hampden 3 hours earlier, and was waiting on his flight. The queue for his signature stretched all the way round the departure lounge, but the guy was class personified.
 
Footballs changed so much, it really is futile to compare. In his generation football really was a man's game. Booting a leather ball about while defender's could literally boot the shit out of you and still look that skillful takes some amount of talent. He was the king of his generation though and part of the greatest Brazil side ever imo (again pretty futile, but what a team that was)
 
Pele, Best, Maradona in that order first to last.

If the Belfast Boy had been from Brazil we may be having a different conversation as well.
 
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