(MENAFN-Khaleej Times) the grandeur of the emirates headquarters could only play second fiddle to the black pearl who took a trip down the memory lane, inspiring football lovers and his unabashed admirers on an unforgettable evening
Pele during a special screening at the emirates headquarters. — kt photo by rahul gajjar
“of course, it was a gift, but it was supplemented by sweat and the right work ethic. i believe there is always something new to learn,” the 73-year-old pele, emirates’ global ambassador, winner of three world cups with brazil, breaker of countless records and hearts of the on-field rivals’ and scorer of more than a thousand goals — 1281 to be precise, revealed after he was asked if the ball wizardry that he so nonchalantly displayed at his prime came too easily to him. wearing an elegant suit, the iconic brazilian was interacting with fans as emirates, one of the biggest partners of the fifa world cup, organised a unique event — a special screening with pele — to evoke memories of some of his most glorious footballing moments. like his stunning brace in the final against hosts sweden in the 1958 world cup final and the tears that rolled down his cheeks after the final whistle.
The emotional impact of a world cup triumph was simply too massive on a 17-year-old heart. “it was an unbelievable moment in my life,” pele remembered on sunday evening after his heroics were displayed on the giant screen.
“when i came to back to brazil with the team, my father cried. when he saw the trophy in my hand, his voice choked with emotion as he thanked me for keeping a promise!
“well, i had made a promise eight years before that 1958 final when brazil lost the world cup final against uruguay on home soil (in 1950). that defeat had made my father cry like a baby. i was about eight years old then, but i held his hand and said: ‘don’t cry dad, one day i would win the world cup for you!’ now you know why i was overwhelmed with emotion after the referee blew the final whistle in sweden.”
A strange silence engulfed the auditorium as pele remembered that poignant moment between a father and a son.Greatest team
There was a collective gasp when the footage of his perfectly weighted pass to carlos alberto to help score arguably the greatest team goal of all time in the 1970 world cup final against italy was shown.
Was it really greatest goal ever? “it was certainly the greatest team ever,” pele smiled. “that’s why that team could score goals of such beauty against an italian team that was famous for its man-to-man marking. i mean the 1958 team was a great team as well with players like didi, vava. i was just 17. but in 1970, i was at my peak and the team had so many great players. it was also a very well organised team. we were perfectly prepared to win that world cup.”
While the audience loved all of his breathtaking goals that were shown on the screen, his miss against uruguay in the 1970 world cup drew the biggest cheers.
Tostao’s defence-splitting ball from the half-line was chased by pele, but the striker saw the onrushing ladislao mazurkiewicz, the uruguay goalkeeper, and sold him an outrageous dummy on the edge of the box and then followed the ball before taking a shot that missed the goal by a whisker. that sublime dummy made the dubai aficionados drool. “i know it’s the most defining image of that world cup,” pele admits. “it was a miss, but people still keep talking about it. they love it.”
The former santos player revealed his admiration for gordon banks, england’s legendary goalkeeper whose sharp reflexes denied him a goal in that 1970 world cup and his romance with the number 10 shirt. he also spoke eloquently on how he inspired the baseball-crazy americans to fall in love with the beautiful game during his time with the new york cosmos.
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