The Curse Of Pele...?

Edison Arantes do Nascimento is widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, with the European view shaped by his amazing performances at the greatest stage of all: the World Cup finals, and not his club form, which may be dismissed by claiming the level of competition was low in comparison to Europe, but his side was run extremely close each year by Sao Paolo, Portuguesa and especially Palmeiras. In terms of the physical element, Santos played 31 times in 1958 between 16th July and 1st November, a run of games involving almost three games every week.

The legend of the man who scored over a thousand goals has often cast aside players who were equally brilliant or efficient in their end product. Players such as Alberto Spencer or Garrincha, who perished a genius troubled by alcoholism, all fell into the shadow of the idea that was Pele. The former outscored Pele in the Copa Liberadores, while the latter was the star of the 1962 World Cup impressing all with his outstanding dribbling ability. Brazil never lost when the man dubbed the ‘Angel with bent legs’ and Pele were in the same line-up. His myth has become so overwhelming that fans just acknowledge his position as the best ever rather than make a decision based on any footage, meaning that earlier genius such as Di Stefano, Josef Bican and others such as Cruyff and Beckenbauer were never held in such esteem either despite their ability and the size of their trophy cabinet.

Of course, the modern game is more fitness based and less on technique, but there were very rugged defenders not nicknamed ‘Tiny’ in those days, who were fighting for a living in each game unlike today, where a young player can earn £10,000 a week. Pele now earns £18 million annually, based on his image and promotion of various products such as Viagra and Nokia. The great man sadly never moved to Europe, as he was deemed a ‘national treasure’ as Eusebio also was but has had a trail of ‘new Peles’ attempt to follow his exploits. Rarely have many of these players had a similar impact but as Brazilians move to Europe from an ever-younger age any action is strongly examined by the seemingly omnipresent eye of the media, leading to a number of players seen as the ‘second coming’. Unfortunately many of these footballers are more like Matrix Revolutions than the Godfather II.

Here we profile some of those who have tried to meet the (half the) achievements of the phenomenon or have been called the new Pele by the media, even if the comparison is not warranted.

Not as media friendly (not by a long shot) as the legend but Romario became the second man to reach a thousand goals, with a number of controversial goals in matches that weren’t official, like the FIFA joint player of the century (not Maradona, if you’re wondering). He won the 1994 World Cup scoring 5 goals, with his explosive style bringing back fine memories. Fond of caricatures (on the toilets of his nightclub) of those who he has fallen out, he has had arch-enemy Edmundo and Brazil coaching legend Mario Zagallo (after being left out of the 1998 World Cup squad) drawn on. Surprisingly Zagallo failed to see the funny side and sued the temperamental striker.

When one thinks of Rivaldo, they see two sides: the con-artist and the magician. The man who collapsed in a heap holding his face in agony, as the ball was thrown at his chest against Turkey in 2002 is not the Rivaldo we’ve come to expect. It is the man who scores free-kicks with the falling leaf technique, and the one who scored that master-class of a hat-trick against Valencia once upon a time, with the famous overhead kick the pick of the lot. He was one of Barcelona’s best players in recent years, standing out as Catalonia had an influx of Dutchmen.

‘El Phenomeno’ had probably the most chance of becoming a modern day legend. The teenage Ronaldo had a stunning goal-scoring record in Holland with PSV and in Spain with Barca. 54 goals in 58 games for PSV and 47 in 49 games for the Catalan Giants, he was surely about to reach the pinnacle of the world’s greatest sport. Then came that infamous night in Paris (1998). A ‘zombie-like’ Ronaldo took to the pitch having reportedly suffered a fit of some sort in the hours leading up to the match. Since then thousands of conspiracy theories have been formed as to why he took to the pitch despite not being fit to play, such as a clause in his boot deal with Nike.

Then came the injuries in 1999 and 2000, whilst playing for Inter. The rebirth of the phenomenon came in Japan/Korea in 2002, where his goals sent a Brazil side to their fifth title. Another inflated transfer fee took him to Madrid, where he managed over a 100 goals in all competitions along with enduring jibes such as ‘el Gordo’. Even Pele himself got in on the act, to which Ronaldo retaliated calling the Brazil legend a ‘two-bob opportunist’. The descent continued as he moved to Milan, where having scored 7 goals in 14 games, as things began to look up, he suffered another cruciate ligament injury. Then came the mishap with three transvestites and the Brazilian Legend is now a free agent as his contract with AC Milan ended this summer. A seemingly unfortunate end to a man who could have emulated Pele himself.

And finally we come to Robinho, the then 15 year old, ‘a little black boy, very thin and skilful’ who Pele likened himself to. Santos had gone 18 years without winning a trophy, and Robinho, of the same age, came to the fore, in a side full of young Brazilian talent, including Elano, Diego and Alex, they brought silverware back where it belonged. His initial impressions for both Santos and Real have been mouthwatering. A 25 minute cameo against Cadiz had the Spanish press placing Robinho on a pedestal and kneeling before him. But the change in managers at Real affected the youngster as did the new country and initial separation from his family.

The kidnapping of his mother was a key reason of his decision to move abroad with his family. After a 5-0 thrashing of Ecuador in the South American Qualifiers in the Autumn of 2007, the young striker went to a nightclub with his team-mates to celebrate their success. The night out was covered by the local media, Robinho arrived late for Real’s next training session and was left out for the defeat at Espanyol. Despite the controversy, the Brazilian wizard scored twice and got an assist in a scintillating performance against Olympiakos. It was to be the turning point in his career. He has matured and started to fulfil the potential that could propel him to the very top. Having scored 15 from the wing last season, he must add a consistency to his game if he is to reach the top.

Best Of The Rest:

Diego of Werder Bremen was dubbed ‘White Pele’ after his stunning performances for Santos. Tostao claims he organizes the play better than Zico, while others have made the comparison to Deco, due to his slight physique and running style.

Anderson was known as ‘Little Pele’ on the streets as a child playing football. The tenacious midfielder was seen as a natural playmaker, but has seen his position change to a rugged all-action midfielder who only lacks goals from his game

Such was the hype around Alexandre Pato that the Milanese faithful were seeing him as the saviour to their faltering league campaign. No pressure on his 18 year old shoulders then, eh? ‘The Duck’ took it all into his stride and finished his first six months in the side with 9 goals, with more to come.

It is typical of the world press and their obsession to pigeonhole new players as replicas of more established footballers but a new precedent was set when 9 year old Jean Carlos Chera was seen as the second coming of Pele. Interest from Manchester United has been spoken of, but such attention on such young shoulders has had an adverse effect before – Freddy Adu being the obvious example.

Marta Vieira da Silva has 47 goals in 45 games for Brazil and this young star is only 22 years old. Who you ask, well this young striker is the best female footballer in the world and has even been called ‘Pele in skirts’. And when you have your own documentary Marta - Pelés kusin" ("Marta, cousin of Pelé"), especially so early in your career, you must be something special. And Marta certainly is. She has also had 68,000 spectators rise to a standing ovation in the Maracana Stadium. Not many others her age have done that.

The most recognisable face in the world alongside the boxer Muhammad Ali, fittingly, his autobiography read ‘Even people who don’t know football know Pele’. And in this modern world, where we are obsessed with comparisons to the past, we should remember each player is his own man. Pele is Pele and others will always have to suffer the burden of his name (a nickname which incidentally, he hated as a kid).