IF there was one man who made Brazil truly global, it has to be Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
Before you even start to scratch your head... it’s Pele – one of the greatest footballers of all time.
He won three World Cups, scored more than a thousand goals, and is the reason why Brazilian football is revered around the world.
His death was confirmed on his social media platforms with a beautiful message signifying his life devoted to the game and social work.
One statement said: “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems – love.”
Such was his presence. Such was his work. Such was his influence. Pele brought joy to the lives of many.
When I started watching football, I was in awe of Thierry Henry’s pace, Zinedine Zidane’s pirouette move, Johan Cruyff’s signature turn, Ronaldinho’s flexibility, Ronaldo’s mind-boggling stepovers and Andres Iniesta’s ballerina-like dribbles.
It was my late ‘tata’ (grandfather in Tamil) who introduced me to Pele. He pointed out that what my idols did had been done by Pele in the past.
It seemed that he had such grace with a football with leather laces, which was heavier than the current football we play today.
And just seven years after what my grandad had said, I had the opportunity to meet the great Pele.
He was in Malaysia to launch “The Greats Stay Thirsty” campaign by 100Plus at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in 2015.
All I wanted to do was to report on the event and see him up close. I didn’t dare to ask any questions because I was still a rookie journalist then.
I was so nervous. After all, he was such an influential figure in world football.
But when the reporters were allowed to ask some questions, I did not know where I found the courage but I raised my hand as the mercurial Alan Shearer did with his goal celebrations.
Was I trembling? I would be lying if I said no, but I composed myself, took the microphone and asked, “Sir, Malaysian football has had their glory days, but they are not the same these days. What advice would you give to these gentlemen right beside you (some of the Malaysian players were also present) to change the fortunes of our football?”
My hands were still shaking a little, but when Pele started talking, my attention was on every word he said.
And his advice to them was, “spread your wings, play abroad. It is different when you do that. The emotions and the game style. It moulds you.
“When you play overseas or even in other nations with your national team, you will learn a lot. You can be good in your town or country, but when you go outside, it’s a different reality. You will be better.”
Indeed, what he said was the brutal truth. Those words run true even to this day.
Look at the growth of Asian teams, especially Japan, who’ve grown into world beaters, and they did so by having most of their players playing in Europe.
We’ve got some players based overseas now, like Luqman Hakim Shamsuddin (KV Kortrijk, Belgium), Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak (Azul Claro Numazu, Japan) and Safawi Rasid (Ratchaburi, Thailand), but it could be better and I hope our players will be inspired by Pele’s advice.
But more than that, he was an inspiration to many. A trailblazer of sorts too.
His work and his words would remain as our legacy. And it comes as no surprise that Brazilians have branded Pele as ‘’eterno’’ – one who is eternal.
I can only imagine what’s happening in the heavens right now. After Diego Maradona’s passing in 2020, Pele said: “I hope we will play football together in the sky.”
I envy the gods now because they will have two greats in their midst.
Here on earth, we will continue to celebrate Pele – the king of the beautiful game’s achievements for years to come.
