Pele, the immortal

“I am Ronald Reagan but you don’t need to introduce yourself,” the 40th US President had famously said introducing himself to Pelé. And he was right. Pelé did not need an introduction. He was someone for whom two warring factions in Nigeria had held a ceasefire for 48 hours. That Pelé played his football before the internet had taken over the world and yet was known the world over is a testimony to his aura. It isn’t wrong to say that Pelé and the late Muhammad Ali were the first truly global icons. It didn’t matter if you were in Rio or Reading, Kolkata or Kingston, the king’s name was a conversation starter.

Though no one under the age of 60 had even seen him play, the teenage wonder who exploded into the global consciousness with his goals at one of the first televised World Cups (Sweden, 1958) — before becoming one of the senior statesmen of perhaps the greatest international team ever (1970) — transcended the sport. As with Jesse Owens, Ali and Joe Louis, Pelé’s role in the battle that athletes of colour had to fight for self-respect shouldn’t be underestimated. It wasn’t just that he helped Brazil win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970). It was the manner in which they won them — with matchless flair and a lot of goals. Pelé contributed six out 16 goals in 1958, including a hat-trick against France, and opened the scoring in the 1970 final against Italy.

In Brazil itself, he was probably not the most loved footballer of his generation. Garrincha was the tragic hero, with his deformed feet, incredible trickery on the ball and tumultuous personal life. Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Johan Cruyff, who supplemented his achievements as a player by becoming one the most influential of coaches, will all have their adherents when it comes to a debate about the greatest footballer of all. But it’s safe and accurate to say that no one ever expanded football’s footprint like Pelé did. He was football’s greatest brand who helped make the sport what it is now. And today, football is poorer.

KOLKATA KONNECTION

While his football made him one of the greatest-ever and his feats may never be equalled,it was his sense of humour made him popular with people. In 2015, Pelé came to Kolkata and watched Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) play Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Salt Lake Stadium. While watching the game, with the ATK scarf around his neck, he had inquired about the inception of the ISL and was curious to know how many Brazilians were playing in the league. Later, it was during a television interview that one got the taste of his wit. Seeing him giving a signal to wrap up, I said, “It was time for the last question.” Pelé, who was smiling right through the interview, suddenly got serious.

He stood up and said, “How could you say it was the last question?”. I was taken aback and nervous. “Did I do something wrong? Did I offend him somehow?” I wondered. After a pause, he said, “Say this is the last question of this interview” and burst out laughing. That someone of his stature can be as witty and affectionate ought to be a lesson for celebrities on how to conduct oneself in the midst of mass frenzy and hysteria. Kolkata has a special bond with Pelé. He was one of the few great sportspersons to visit India while still active, coming to Kolkata with New York Cosmos in 1977.

That visit, and another nearly four decades later in 2015, cemented his place in the hearts of the Indian football lovers. For a generation of fans who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, it was always Pelé and then daylight. Many of them have also passed on now, but the stories they shared with their kids and others remain. Like Pelé, those are immortal.