Africa in Focus - The Life and Legacy of Pele, the GREATEST Footballer EVER!!

Ghana / Afrika in Focus

This week's edition of Afrika in Focus is a special looking at the life and legacy of Pele.

We start by giving a backdrop into the conditions for African people in Brazil when Pele , real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born including a form of Apartheid that still exists in Brazil today making the quality of life for African people very difficult indeed.

We give a take on how Pele's natural genius and flair for football attracted the best team in Brazil Santos to sign him at the tender age of 15 years.

We explain how Pele's outrageous talent helped Santos become a dominant force in Brazilian football and how the Brazilian National Team became attracted to Pele.

We explain how Pele became an instant hit with The Brazil national team, when he scored his first goal for Brazil at the tender age of 16 in a friendly match. Aside from this the Brazil national management soon realised that Pele was a gem. This realisation made them include Pele in the 1958 Brazil world cup squad.

It was the 1958 World cup in Sweden that catapulted Pele into a global phenomenon. Pele's brilliant performances as a mere 17 year old including a hat-trick in the semi final against France and a brace (two goals) in the final against the host nation ensured that Brazil went on to win their first EVER World Cup.

We discuss how Pele cemented his legendary status by helping Brazil win a second consecutive World Cup in 1962 and helping his club team Santos to world domination.

In 1966 Pele's bid for a third successive World Cup ended in disappointment as he was literally kicked out of the World cup as a result of ferocious tackles on him (as it was the only way to stop him playing).

This bitter disappointment then made Pele to reflect on whether he wanted to continue to play football, given the harsh treatment he suffered at the 1966 World Cup.

We analyse perhaps Pele's greatest moment as a player, his third World Cup victory as part of the all conquering Brazil team of 1970, considered by many to be the greatest football team ever assembled.
Pele's feat in 1970 by helping Brazil win their 3rd World Cup, which made Brazil keep the Jules Rimet trophy forever, included some outrageous and mesmerizing skills including trying to lob the goal keeper from 50 yards and dummying a keeper before shooting wide.
We then discuss Pele after 1970 where he was invited to help launch football in the United States by joining the New York Cosmos. In fact Pele was a huge success in the US that he single handedly revolutionised the sport in the US and we see today the legacy of this by the huge attendances in the Major Soccer League and the tremendous growth of Women's football.
In terms of Legacy all the greats from Bobby Charlton, to Franz Beckenbauer, to Jose Mourinho to Bobby Moore to Johan Cruyff ALL state

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