{"id":16364,"date":"2020-10-23T20:18:20","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T20:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.com\/kenya\/?p=16364"},"modified":"2020-10-23T20:18:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T20:18:20","slug":"brazilian-football-legend-pele-celebrates-80th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sport\/brazilian-football-legend-pele-celebrates-80th-birthday","title":{"rendered":"Brazilian football legend Pele celebrates 80th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author: Mirror<\/strong>
\nAfricaPress-Kenya:<\/strong> How fitting that a sport revered for uncomplicated beauty has as its greatest exponent a man with such a simple name.<\/p>\n

Pele. Four letters, two \u00adsyllables, one legend.<\/p>\n

In sport\u2019s golden era of Muhammad Ali and Jack Nicklaus, those four letters were instantly recognisable anywhere in the world from the moment the 17-year-old with the high cheekbones announced himself with two goals in the 1958 World Cup final.<\/p>\n

Brazil had bred a superstar but the whole world staked a claim on the youngster with magic in his feet.<\/p>\n

And for all his talent with a ball, he had equal appeal as a human being, with a smile that was a passport to \u00adpeople\u2019s hearts.The boy from Brazil, who went on to win the World Cup three times, who scored more than 1,000 goals in his career, turns 80.<\/p>\n

And for every superstar \u2013 like George Best, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, \u00adLionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo \u2013 that has come after him, the debate over who is the GOAT will always include Pele\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

Sir Bobby Charlton, a long-time friend, played against him in the famous Mexico World Cup clash 50 years ago and has no doubt about his place in the \u00adpantheon of football greats.<\/p>\n

Charlton said: \u201cI have said it before and I will say it again, I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player.<\/p>\n

\u201cA phenomenal footballer and one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet. Happy 80th birthday Pele \u2013 wishing you good health, happiness and many happy returns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlton\u2019s team-mate from the 1960s, Denis Law, was revered by Manchester United and Scotland fans as the \u00adLawman but he reckons there was one man who made all the rules.<\/p>\n

Law said: \u201cPele was an \u00adunbelievable footballer, he had style, grace, flair and made everything look so easy. The fact that he was only 17 when he played in a World Cup final speaks for itself. The precision in the way he played made him such a joy to watch.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all his football \u00adabilities, he is also a good man with a great \u00adpresence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to wish him a very happy 80th birthday and I\u2019m glad he\u2019s finally caught me up!\u201d<\/p>\n

By the late 1970s, as Pele was playing out his final days in America\u2019s NASL, Trevor Francis had become Britain\u2019s first \u00a31million player by \u00adsigning for Nottingham \u00adForest boss Brian Clough.<\/p>\n

But Francis still speaks in hushed tones as he recalls meeting the Brazilian \u00adsuperstar at a lunch in \u00adBirmingham in the early 70s.<\/p>\n

Francis, a teen sensation with Birmingham City at the time, said: \u201cJust to meet the greatest player in the world, this iconic figure, and for him to say hello was a dream come true.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was at the Albany Hotel and there were some \u00adphotographers there who set up the picture. My hair was quite long then.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author: Mirror AfricaPress-Kenya: How fitting that a sport revered for uncomplicated beauty has as its greatest exponent a man with such a simple name. Pele. Four letters, two \u00adsyllables, one legend. In sport\u2019s golden era of Muhammad Ali and Jack Nicklaus, those four letters were instantly recognisable anywhere in the world from the moment the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":16365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,17],"tags":[6196,6195],"class_list":["post-16364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-sport","tag-birthday","tag-pele"],"yoast_head":"\nBrazilian football legend Pele celebrates 80th birthday - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How fitting that a sport revered for uncomplicated beauty has as its greatest exponent a man with such a simple name.Pele. 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