How Soccer Legend Pelé Related With Other Players
The world knew Edson Arantes do Nascimento by one name: Pelé. Unknown to many, it was a tag that the soccer legend acquired by chance and didn't take a liking to for the longest of times. At birth, Pelé was christened 'Edson' after American inventor Thomas Edison as he revealed in an interview with Sky Sports Retro. "I was very proud to be named after the engineer of the lights," said Pelé.
During an away match in a different city, a young Edson got a name change he hadn't seen coming. "I don't know if I made some mistake because in Portuguese when you kick with the foot [it's] called 'pé.," The soccer star narrated. "Maybe because I made some mistake, I didn't kick well, they said, 'Pelé.'" The name stuck and has been around for generations. For soccer fanatics, it's code for the most World Cup wins by any player, dead or alive, and unmatched skill that signifies elite prowess on the field.
On December 29, 2022, Pelé died following a cancer diagnosis. The news of his death came a month after Pelé's daughter had assured fans that there was no cause for alarm through an Instagram post. He left his mark in the hearts of diehard soccer enthusiasts, as well as the players he interacted with. A sportsman par excellence, who gave his all to the game, here's how he related with others who had the same gift.
His father was his favorite player
Before Pelé was six years old, he'd never encountered an actual ball. "We used socks stuffed with papers or a grapefruit. It was a different time," he revealed in an interview with Four Four Two. With the help of a player named Sosa, who was in his father's local team, Pelé laid his hands on a real ball. It was love at the first kick.
When he was ten, Pelé watched his father, João Ramos do Nascimento (popularly christened Dondinho), cry for the first time because Brazil had lost to Uruguay in the World Cup final. "I said 'Father, don't cry. I'm going to win the World Cup for you, don't cry,'" disclosed Pelé in a conversation with RT. Asked who his favorite player was by CNN, Pelé didn't flinch. "My father." He declared. "My father was my teacher." Their bond was special, nurtured deeply by a common love for the game.
By the time he was in his early teens, Pelé's magic flair was undeniable. "People started to say, 'Oh, the son of Dondinho is a good player' not 'Pele is a good player,'" he told Four Four Two. Of course, he delivered his World Cup promise eight years later, and as he gave away in his chat with RT, the first thing he did was to call his father. "Did you see? we won!," an excited Pelé exclaimed.
He congratulated Kylian Mbappé for breaking his World Cup record
At the 2022 World Cup tournament, Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé — playing for the French national team — broke a 64-year-old Pelé record. France placed a 3-1 win against Poland in the round of 16, with two goals from Mbappé that made him the youngest player to attain five knockout stage scores.
The last time such a near-impossible feat had been recorded was in 1958, when a relatively unknown 17-year-old Pelé led Brazil to a win against Sweden. "Nobody believed in us," Pelé said in an interview with FIFA TV. "I remember some reporters saying, 'How can they take a 17-year-old kid to the World Cup finals?'" Pelé managed a total of six goals overall, including a hat trick against France.
After Mbappé's stellar showcase, Pelé took to Twitter to congratulate the soccer sensation, who also tied with him on the cumulative number of World Cup goals (12). "Thank you, @KMbappe. I'm pleased to see you breaking another one of my records in this Cup, my friend," wrote Pelé in response to a tweet by Mbappé over his health. The pair had previously crossed paths in Paris soon after Mbappé shattered yet another Pelé record as the second teenager to score in a World Cup final in 2018. "Comparisons are flattering but I'm very aware that I'll never achieve what he has," Mbappé told the press during the meet-up (via AFP News Agency).
He trusted Neymar Jr. to bring the World Cup trophy home
Pelé spoke highly of 30-year-old Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (simply Neymar Jr.) in a 2018 conversation with FIFA TV. "Today, in my opinion, Neymar is the key player for Brazil, and everything needs to be geared up for that," he shared.
In a star-studded get-together, showcased on Pelé's self-titled Netflix series, he bestowed upon the Paris Saint-Germain forward and his fellow countryman, Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior (Vinícius Jr.), the task of winning Brazil's post-2002 World Cup championship. "I don't want to put you all on the spot but now is your time to bring the trophy home." Pelé voiced.
Sadly, his wish didn't come to pass, since Brazil lost to Croatia in a penalty shoot-out at the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, per CNN. Still, the soccer icon composed a lengthy message to Neymar Jr., which he shared via Instagram. "Keep inspiring us all. I will continue to punch the air with happiness with every goal you score, as I've done in every game I saw you on the field," he wrote. Soon after Pelé's passing was announced, Neymar Jr. drafted a tribute on the same platform in which he credited him with revolutionizing the game of soccer. "He's gone but his magic remains," wrote Neymar Jr.
He hoped to 'play ball together in heaven' with Diego Maradona
Ages before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo excited fans with an Instagram post of themselves staring hard at a chessboard, the argument over who was the greatest soccer player of all time was propelled by Pelé and his Argentine counterpart, Diego Maradona. This was in spite of the fact that the two players dominated the field at different times.
Statistically speaking, Pelé was the superior one amongst the pair, bagging 15 titles against Maradona's 11. The duo established an association that saw them make a number of public appearances in their later years. The big question remains, was there a rivalry between the pair? "We don't have a problem. It's only the newspapers," said Pelé in an interview with Four Four Two.
Following the 2020 death of Maradona, Pelé penned a short heartfelt message on Twitter, that read, " What sad news. I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to the family. One day I hope we can play ball together in heaven."
He appeared in a commercial with Cristiano Ronaldo
In an Emirates commercial, two soccer fans are intrigued to be on the same flight with a soccer great. "Jack, have you seen who it is?" One of them asks. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is an earshot away, immediately lights up. He is eavesdropping. He plasters a smile that widens when his qualifications are spelled out. "Such a legend," the tête-à-tête continues, as Ronaldo reads about himself from a magazine. His bubble of pride pops with the speed of light at the mention of three World Cup championships. Suddenly, Pelé walks in. It's a clash of soccer royalty from different generations, beautifully executed.
The pair shared the same stage when Pelé's contribution to soccer was recognized with an honorary Ballon d'Or award, and Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi and former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribéry to clinch the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or award.
Upon the announcement of Pelé's death, Ronaldo hailed the legend in an Instagram post, writing in part: "An inspiration to so many millions, a reference from yesterday, today and forever. The love you always showed me was reciprocated in every moment we shared, even from distance."
Pelé acknowledged Lionel Messi's World Cup win
In a conversation with Diego Maradona, Pelé, who seemed unaware that the microphone was on at a pre-Euro 2016 event in Paris, asked if he knew former Barcelona FC winger-turned-forward, Lionel Messi on a personal level. "He is a good person," Maradona replied, adding, "but he has no personality. He doesn't have much personality, like how to be a leader."
A couple of years prior, Pelé had voiced his thoughts on Messi by comparing him to his now-teammate, Paris Saint-Germain forward, Neymar Jr. "Now everyone is talking about Messi, he is a star. But [to be the best ever] he must first become better than Neymar," Pelé reportedly said at a press conference, according to a since-deleted post by Goal. "At the moment Messi is just more experienced."
When Argentina beat France to win the 2022 World Cup, Pelé paid homage to Lionel Messi. Speaking of the four-time UEFA Champions league winner, he wrote, "Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way. [Messi] winning his first World Cup, as his trajectory deserved." He also referenced his long-gone friend, Maradona, implying that he'd definitely have been elated by the moment.
Zinedine Zidane joined the greats for a luxury campaign
In 2010, fashion giant Louis Vuitton championed a "Core Values" campaign with the tag: "Three great journeys, one historic game." The move was to market travel in a way only Louis Vuitton could; bringing three top-tier soccer figures together.
"[Louis Vuitton] reinforced travel as its fundamental and defining value, one that lives on in spirit even while staying at home," the luxury brand wrote on Instagram. "What true football fan has not dreamt of seeing these three living legends play each other?" remarked the then-Louis Vuitton head of communications, Antoine Arnault, per British Vogue.
In a video promotion, Zinedine Zidane goes head-to-head with Pelé in a foosball match commentated on and refereed by Diego Maradona. The resulting still, captured by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz in a Madrid bar, shows Pelé's beaming face, an ecstatic Zidane — alias Zizou — and a focused Maradona, who points to the foosball table.