All posts tagged: edson arantes do nascimento

Pele’s Passing, Glory For Messi And An Unprecedented FIFA Ban For India Sum Up Year

Published by Webster

Pele‘s demise just two days before the world prepared to welcome the new year and Lionel Messi-led Argentina lifting the World Cup trophy were undoubtedly the two epochal moments, which will be remembered for decades to come even as Indian football made more noise for its administrative mess than the on-field achievements in 2022. If Messi worked his magic to guide Argentina to its third World Cup triumph on December 18, Pele’s legion of fans kept praying as he battled cancer in a Sao Paulo hospital before he departed the world on December 29. Fans in India shed tears of joy when Messi lifted the World Cup trophy, and cried inconsolably when Pele left, given their connect with the ‘Beautiful Game’. However, on the home front, things are far from hunky-dory even though global football icons are revered here and millions in the country tune in when the World Cup, Euros or the UEFA Champions League are beamed on the television screens. The year saw Indian football go into a downward spiral with the All …

Pele – Goodbye King Of The Beautiful Game

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They say Muhammad Ali was arguably the greatest sports personality of all time. Pele was that and more. In his pomp, Pele was Muhammad Ali from the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, Jesse Owens in Hitler’s Olympics. He was Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, Tiger Woods at Augusta, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps in Beijing, London and Rio. All rolled into one, many times over, through a glittering career headlined by three World Cup title triumphs, and more than 1200 goals, though only 784 of them are recognised by FIFA. He was one of the first global sporting superstars who transcended continents, admired for his wizardry with football and sometimes vilified for his political stance, or the lack of it. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in 1940, Pele was the embodiment of the commercialization football underwent since the first world Cup television broadcasts in the 1950s, something — besides his extraordinary skills — that played a part in taking him to all corners of the world, including India’s Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1977, when Mohun Bagan …

When Pele Was Left Mesmerised In ‘Football Capital’ Of India

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Much before Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ moment stirred the football passion in the region, it was the Brazilian maestro Pele who began Bengal’s tryst with the ‘beautiful game’. Playing against Mohun Bagan on a slushy and jam-packed Eden Gardens on September 24, 1977 in the twilight of his career, the three-time World Cup winner was overwhelmed by the depth of talent a “little known” Indian club possessed. Desperately seeking a revival after the dominance of arch-rivals East Bengal, the PK Banerjee-coached Mariners not only stopped the ‘King of Football’ from scoring a goal, but almost won 2-1 before a controversial penalty made it a 2-2 draw against the star-studded New York Cosmos. PK had given mid-fielder Gautam Sarkar the big task of man-marking Pele and playing in the dream match of his life, he had given it all, something that was later acknowledged by the legend himself. In the evening, Mohun Bagan had organised a felicitation ceremony for Pele where he was to be handed a diamond ring but the ‘Black Pearl’ was more …

Pele – Legend, Enigma And The Best-Loved Football Star Ever

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Pele was the best-loved footballer of his or any other generation, the eternal master of the beautiful game. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, his sumptuous range of skills making him the embodiment of his country’s golden age of football. When he finally retired in 1977, Pele had scored more than 1,000 goals. He scored 77 for Brazil, a mark only equalled at the recent World Cup by Neymar. But his impact on his sport went far beyond the pitch as he also became a money-making phenomenon, lending his name to sportswear, credit cards and watches among an array of products.  Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in October 1940, Pele played his first game for Santos as a 15-year-old in 1956. He earned a call-up to the national team a year later, scoring on his debut against Argentina. In 1958 he was picked for the World Cup in Sweden. His participation at the finals had been a matter of fierce debate in Brazil, with many critics questioning whether the slender-framed …

Pele Dies At 82 – “Transformed Football Into Art”: Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo Pay Tribute

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Pele, perhaps the greatest and most loved footballer in the world, died at the age of 82. His death was mourned by the entire football fraternity and by scores of fans not just in Brazil but all over the world. Three of this generations most highly rated footballers, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazilian Neymar paid their tribute to the legend. Football legend Pele “transformed football into an art,” said Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar in a tribute to his country’s greatest sporting icon. “Before Pele, ’10’ was just a number,” the heir to Pele’s famed jersey number wrote on Instagram, alongside two pictures of himself with the late legend. “But that beautiful sentence is incomplete. I would say that before Pele, football was just a sport. He transformed football into an art, into entertainment… Football and Brazil gained status thanks to the King. He has gone, but his magic will remain. Pele is ETERNAL!” Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi bid Brazilian football hero Pele farewell in a tweet Thursday with photos …

Pele, Brazil’s Legendary Three-Time World Cup-Winning Footballer, Dies At The Age Of 82

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Iconic Brazilian footballer Pele, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the only player to have won the FIFA World Cup thrice, has died at the age of 82, his family said Thursday. “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace,” daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram. The legendary footballer had been battling colon cancer and was admitted in a hospital for a respiratory problem on November 29. He cheered for the Brazilian team during the recently concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar from the hospital bed. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele, was born on October 23, 1940, at Tres Coracoes, in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais. He gained global superstardom after playing an important part in Brazil’s maiden FIFA World Cup triumph in 1958. Still a teenager, Pele fired in a hat-trick in the semi-final against France and followed it up with a brace in the final against Sweden to help the Selecaowin the first of their record five world titles. He was part of the team …

Pele’s Family Gather At Brazil Legend’s Hospital On Christmas Eve. See Pic

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Family members visited the legendary Pele on Saturday at the Sao Paulo hospital where he is suffering from worsening cancer as well as kidney and heart problems, according to social media posts. Edinho, Pele’s son — who was recently appointed coach of Serie B football club Londrina, based in Parana in the north — arrived on Christmas Eve at the medical center, where he joined his sisters Flavia and Kely Nascimento. He posted an Instagram photo of himself holding the football star’s hand, captioning it: “Father… my strength is yours.” The ex-goalkeeper arrived a day after having explained his absence at his father’s side to local media. “I would like to be present, but I am committed to my mission here. I’m not a doctor, I couldn’t really help much,” he said in an interview published on Friday by the daily Estadao. That same day, Kely shared a photo of herself hugging her 82-year-old father in the hospital with the caption “one more night together.” On Wednesday, the Albert Einstein Hospital, where the three-time World …

“One More Night Together”: Pele’s Daughter Shares Photo With Brazil Football Legend In Hospital

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Pele‘s daughter posted a photo of the Brazilian football legend from his hospital bed in Sao Paulo on Friday with the caption “one more night together.” In the photo, Kely Cristina Nascimento is seen hugging her 82-year-old father, with only one side of his face visible in the image. Pele is suffering from worsening cancer as well as kidney and heart problems. “We’re still here, in the fight and in the faith. One more night together,” Nascimento wrote below the photo shared on Instagram around 11:00 pm local time (Saturday 0200 GMT). On Wednesday, the Albert Einstein Hospital, where the three-time World Cup winner is staying, announced that his colon cancer was showing “progression” and he needed “more extensive care to treat kidney and heart failure.” Minutes earlier, Nascimento and Flavia Arantes, another one of Pele’s daughters, had announced on Instagram that their father would spend Christmas at the hospital. Last Sunday, Nascimento had posted a photo of Arantes massaging their father’s left foot as he watched the World Cup final on TV. After the …

Brazil Legend Pele To Spend Christmas In Hospital As Cancer Worsens

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Brazilian football great Pele will spend Christmas in hospital, his medical team and family said Wednesday, as he receives treatment for worsening cancer as well as kidney and heart problems. The 82-year-old “requires greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions,” said the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. It also reported a “progression” of his cancer, but said Pele was not in intensive care. Considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, Pele was hospitalized in Sao Paulo on November 29 for what his medical team called a re-evaluation of his chemotherapy treatments, which he has been receiving since having surgery to remove a colon tumor in September 2021. Doctors have also diagnosed Pele — whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento — with a respiratory infection. Earlier this month, Pele’s daughters Kely Nascimento and Flavia Arantes sought to reassure fans about his health, denying reports that Pele had been placed in end-of-life care as supporters held a vigil outside the hospital. They said Wednesday on Instagram that they would …

Lionel Messi “Deserved” To Win World Cup, Says Brazilian Legend Pele

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A collage of Messi (2022) and Maradona (1986) holding aloft the FIFA World Cup trophy© AFP Brazilian legend Pele said Lionel Messi “deserved” to be a World Cup winner after Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout in Sunday’s final. “Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way. Messi winning his first World Cup, as his trajectory deserved,” Pele, a three-time World Cup champion, wrote on Instagram. Pele also hailed French striker Kylian Mbappe who scored a hat-trick in the final which had ended 3-3 after extra-time before coolly slotting in a penalty in the shootout. “My dear friend, Mbappe, scoring four goals in a final. What a gift it was to watch this spectacle to the future of our sport.” Pele also congratulated Morocco for becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-final and ended his message with reference to the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona. “And I couldn’t fail to congratulate Morocco for the incredible campaign. It’s great to see Africa shine. Congratulations Argentina! Certainly Diego is …