Source: Global People
Author: Chen Jiali
The miracle did not wait in the end.
More than a year after he was diagnosed with colon cancer, Brazil's "ball king" Pele died of multiple organ failure due to cancer at 15:27 local time on December 29 at the age of 82. It is reported that his funeral will be held in the city of Santos.
Pele's daughter Nascimento posted a photo of the family members stacking their hands on social media, with the caption, "We owe everything to you, we love you forever, rest in peace". The death of
Pele sparked the memory of many stars in the football world. Argentine player Messi uploaded a photo with Pele, may he rest in peace; Brazilian player Neymar said that Pele "turned football into an art"; Portuguese player C Ronaldo posted a photo with Pele 14 years ago The group photo for the award ceremony was tear-jerking and emotional.
According to Reuters news, the Brazilian government has announced three days of mourning for Pele's death, and wrote in a statement that Pele was "a great citizen and patriot who, wherever he goes, enhance Brazil's reputation".
Pele is just like his title in the international football world - the eternal champion. The impression he left on people will always be: a superstar who shocked the world, and a football legend who broke countless records.
humorously refuted the "death news" many times
In the last ten years of his life, Bailey has been plagued by illness. But stubborn and unyielding, he refused to be at the mercy of the illness every time. The last time
paid attention to his health was during the World Cup in Qatar in early December 2022. Bailey was revealed to have no response to chemotherapy and had been transferred to a hospice ward. It seems that time is running out. The fans of
were devastated when they got the news.
However, the next day, Bailey suddenly spoke out like an "old urchin" who succeeded in a prank: "My friends, I am strong and full of hope. I will receive treatment as always, and thank all the medical staff for taking care of me." At the end of the
article, he also said that he would also watch Brazil's World Cup match in Qatar.
Bailey's strength gave the fans hope again. After the Brazil team advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, the players pulled up a large portrait of Pele to cheer for the king.
· At the World Cup in Qatar, banners of blessings for Pele continued to appear.
· Local landmarks in Qatar lit up to pray for Pele. The excessive overdraft of
's player career made Pele's later years always associated with words such as disease and surgery, and was even misrepresented as dead many times. But after every "false alarm" before, he would come out to refute the rumors in a unique way. In December 2014, the CNN social media account released Bailey's "death news", but quickly withdrew the news.
At that time, Bailey had just undergone surgery for kidney stones, but after being discharged from the hospital, he was admitted to the hospital again because of urinary tract infection.
CNN's "Oolong" made fans worry. After Pele's condition stabilized, he immediately posted a video to report his safety. He also played and sang a song to the camera on a whim, and said that he was in good health "to be able to play for the national team in the 2016 Olympics."
· Bailey played and sang for the camera in the hospital.
However, during the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bailey underwent hip surgery and could only walk with crutches. He missed the Olympic opening ceremony and even missed the opportunity to light the main torch.
, who used to be a chasing boy in the arena, has become difficult to walk. This not only made the fans lament the ruthlessness of the years, but Bailey himself was also difficult to accept.
Pele's son Edinho once revealed in an interview: "He is the king of the ball and has always attracted attention, but now he can't even do basic walking, which makes him very frustrated and very embarrassing. It's been a long time Time, he didn't want to be seen by others, and hid himself in the house."
Bailey sat in a wheelchair and signed for the fans.
In 2017, Bailey, who had cleaned up his inner emotions, was "resurrected" again.
in Russia back thenAt the World Cup group draw ceremony in Sri Lanka, the 77-year-old Pele appeared in a wheelchair as a special guest.
This "century photo" of him with Putin and Maradona has become an eternal classic. This is also the last time Pele has appeared in an event related to the World Cup.
· In this "Century Group Photo", Bailey appeared in a wheelchair. Putin held his hand and Maradona kissed his forehead.
In August 2021, Bailey ushered in one of the most difficult tests in his life-being diagnosed with colon tumor.
In September of that year, he underwent surgery to have the tumor removed and was re-admitted to intensive care with acid reflux problems. For a while, news about the "death" of the ball king was rampant.
Waiting for his health to improve, Bailey immediately posted a message on social media to thank the fans, and still did not forget to joke, "I am now interested in playing the full 90 minutes and overtime."
However, in the end, as Bailey's tumor deteriorated, the fans could no longer wait for his humorous "rumor rebuttal" this time.
What does it feel like to play football in shoes? How does
define Bailey?
Pele's real name is Edson Nascimento. In 1940, the year he was born, the slums in the Brazilian town of Tres Corazós had just received electricity. Bailey's parents wanted to name their child Edison in honor of Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb. It turned out that Edison was misspelled on the birth certificate, missing an "i" and became Edson.
Edson's name is too difficult to pronounce, and his family is more accustomed to calling him by his nickname "Dicko". After
went to school, his friends nicknamed him "Bailey" and laughed at him for his lisp.
However, it was this nickname that Bailey once disliked, and finally became a symbol admired by hundreds of millions of people all over the world.
After the World Cup in 1970, the British "Sunday Times" gave the name another way of writing in the form of headlines: "How to spell Bailey? G-O-D (God)!"
Bailey later attributed his success to his childhood The "tribulations" experienced.
has an interesting story that was once written into the composition questions of the Chinese language test paper. Bailey was blessed with a son, and a reporter congratulated him: "Look how strong the child is, and he will become a sports star like you in the future." Bailey replied without hesitation: "He may become an excellent sportsman. But I will never achieve what I have, because he is rich now and lacks innate sense of competition, while I was very poor when I was a child."
went back to the slum town where Bailey lived in his childhood. At a young age, Bailey had to go out to shine shoes to subsidize the family.
's mother attributes the family's poverty to Bailey's father. Bailey's father is also a player, but he didn't make a name for himself. He was also injured in a game, causing damage to the meniscus of his knee, making it difficult for him to do anything in the second half of his life.
My mother doesn't want Bailey to follow his father's path again, but hopes that he can study hard and get out of the slums. But she soon discovered that her son's natural desire for football was hard to suppress.
Little Bailey had no money to buy shoes, so he formed a "barefoot squad" with his friends, kicking a ball made of broken socks barefoot in the mud, even if he kicked his feet bleeding, he still enjoyed it. When
was 7 years old, his aunt gave him a pair of half-new leather shoes. He regards these shoes as a treasure, and he is only willing to wear them once when he goes to church on weekends.
Once, he put on his shoes to play football, but he broke them and was severely criticized by his mother. Little Pele was crying, full of grievances in his heart: he just wanted to know what it was like to play football in shoes.
Life was too poor, but Pele found confidence in playing football. With both feet left and right, he passed seven or eight people in a row, and he was able to easily complete an unspeakable shot, which aroused applause on the street.
· Stills of the movie "The Birth of the Legend of " based on Bailey's personal experience. At the age of 11, the former Brazilian international Valdemar Debrito discovered the talented Pele on the street and accepted him as a disciple.
In July 1957, Pele put on the national team's jersey for the first time, against the visiting Argentine team, and with theThe two goals, to secure the main force of the Brazilian team.
The legend of the ball king Pele is ready to come out from here.
He later recalled in his autobiography: "At this time, I felt something in my body, waking up little by little."
·16-year-old Pele joined the Santos club and signed the contract like an adult.
Cease fire to watch Pele play
Pele has too many classic battles in his career.
His proudest achievement was leading Brazil to World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970, making him the only player in history to win three World Cups.
People will never forget the World Cup in 1958. Pele, who was only 17 years old, scored 6 goals and won the World Cup Silver Boot Award, making great contributions to Brazil's first championship.
· In the 1958 World Cup, Pele scored a "magic goal" in the final against Sweden.
When the news reached Rio de Janeiro , the streets were filled with enthusiastic fans, and people shouted: "Pelé! Pele!"
A Swedish newspaper took the lead in calling Pele "the king of the ball". From that moment on, this title accompanied Bailey's life.
· After the 1958 World Cup, the 17-year-old Pele wept with joy on his teammates' shoulders, which became one of the most classic shots of this World Cup.
Pele is only 1.74 meters tall, but he has turned the sport of football into an art. His amazing speed, excellent balance , extraordinary ball control ability, coupled with the excellent coordination of feet and head, created countless classic goals:
In 1964, in the match between Santos and Botafogg, Pele Created a single-game personal scoring record - 8 goals;
In 1961, in the match between Santos and Frominense, Pele contributed one of the greatest personal performances - scoring goals with 9 opponents Score;
On November 19, 1969, Pele scored the 1000th goal of his career at the Maracanã Stadium.
Pele recalled in his autobiography how dreamy it was to score the 1,000th goal: "The roar of the audience could almost suppress the torrential rain. Photographers and reporters rushed up from behind the goal and surrounded me. Hundreds Spectators jumped out of the stands, ignoring the police, and rushed towards me across the wetlands. My jersey was ripped off and another one was put on - with the number 1000 on it."
later The Santos club designated November 19 as "Pelé Day" to commemorate the achievements of the king. After
· Pele scored the 1000th goal, the audience was boiling. Facing the reporters who surrounded him, Bailey covered his face and wept. How popular was Bailey in
's era? In 1970, Nigeria was raging with flames of war, with government forces and opposition forces fighting each other for three days. But when Pele announced that he was going to play an exhibition match in the capital Lagos, the leaders of the two sides actually issued an announcement tacitly: cease fire for 48 hours, and watch the football king play football!
Former US President Ronald Reagan once met Pele and said, I am the President of the United States, and you don’t need to introduce yourself, because everyone knows Pele. In 1999, Pele was named "the best athlete of the 20th century" by the International Olympic Committee; in 2000, the first Lawrence Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to him; Player" title...
All the titles and trophies are not enough to sum up Pele's achievements in football. The official evaluation of the International Olympic Committee: Pele scored 1283 goals in 1366 games. Such a brilliant achievement has reached the limit that human beings can achieve.
·In September 2004, Pele (middle) was awarded the title of "FIFA Player of the Century" by FIFA. After
"Old Urchin" and "Crow's Mouth"
retired, Pele never left the football circle.
As a World Cup ambassador, he continues to promote Brazil, the United Nations and UNICEFdevelop.
"Any kid in the world who plays football wants to be Pele," he said, "which means it's my responsibility to let them know what it takes to be a player and what it takes to be a great human being."
1994 , the football king Pele became the Minister of Sports of Brazil, and he worked for 3 years. During
's tenure, he coordinated the drafting of the "Bailey Law" to improve the situation of players. Players are no longer exclusive to a certain club like commodities, and have more freedom of transfer. After entering the new century, Bailey has almost become an "old urchin". His "crow's mouth" predictions on football matches can often become a talking point for fans.
In the 2002 World Cup, he was optimistic about Argentina and France, but both teams were killed in the group;
In the 2004 European Cup , he was optimistic about the Italian team and quickly packed up and left, and the French team he admired was eliminated that night...
Nevertheless , this optimistic old man doesn't care about everyone's evaluation at all, and still makes predictions on his own, allowing fans all over the world to experience the fun of "buy the football lottery backwards, and the villa depends on the sea".
Football aside, Pelé's retirement has been colorful.
He once cooperated with the famous movie star Stallone in the famous movie "Victory Escape", in which he played a black football star in a concentration camp. Stills of
· Bailey in the movie "The Great Escape".
There are countless literary and artistic works such as movies based on him and biographies about him. In these works, the sufferings of his youth, the challenges of his player days, and the depression after retirement have all become the footnotes of his extraordinary life.
Compared with the domineering on the court in his early years, Pele in his later years gave people a kind-hearted feeling. He always looked peaceful in public appearances, as if the past glory and regrets had become calm.
Two years ago, the Argentine football king Maradona died of illness. Pele, who had been bickering with him for many years, said in an interview: "May God give strength to his family. I hope that one day we will play football together in heaven."
This time, the kings of the ball meet and the game is in full swing. Editor-in-chief of
column: Qin Hong Text editor: Lu Xiaochuan Title image source: Xinhua News Agency Picture editor: Yong Kai
source: Author: Universal People
