Friday 30 December, 2022

Pelé : A creative magician on and off the pitch


The level of creativity Pelé created on the football field was magnificent, but not limited to his footballing profession. He knew his purpose though was never limited by it.”I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint.” Pelé was not his birth name, but […]


The level of creativity Pelé created on the football field was magnificent, but not limited to his footballing profession. He knew his purpose though was never limited by it."I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint."

Pelé was not his birth name, but an adopted name with its own personal story, he used it affectionately as an artist uses a stage name. "Everything good, it is Pelé who does it. The bad is (my given name) Edson." He wore a 'stage name' to embody who and what he thought he was as a footballer.

Pelé 'The Songwriter'

Pelé loved music all his life and composed hundreds of tracks from the early 1960s onwards. An accomplished guitar player, playing music for his team mates throughout the 1970 Mexico world cup, the greatest footballing team in the world so far. Being filled with music perhaps helped his rhythmic flow in the game of Football. He carried a voice recorder with him everywhere because "a song can come into your head at any time – even at a World Cup".

His young songwriting skill shown in the Pelé 'The Songwriter' video clip.

Pelé 'The Artist'

Up until four days before turning 80, Pelé released his final music piece Acredita No Véio (Listen to the Old Man). Film, television even comic books were all areas of the arts Pele seamlessly moved onto and into.

Pelé 'The Innovator'

Pelé was an innovator, he showed the world how Football could be played with flair, grace, poise, intelligence and class. Along with his Brazil teammates, he made a superlative way to play the beautiful game we know and love today. He produced a new blueprint (at the time) for a 100 year old game. What he did on the pitch is replicated in some way by all great players that emerged after him.

Young Pelé

A man of faith, he thoughtfully lived and left a legacy at the end of his life for us and future generations to enjoy, just as he said he would. "Pelé doesn't die. Pelé will never die. Pelé is going to go on for ever. But Edson is a normal person who is going to die one day, and the people forget that."

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