For those not old enough to have witnessed Pele’s pomp during the late 50s, 60s and early 70s, our understanding of the Brazilian icon is almost conditioned. We know he was great for three main reasons:
- He scored a heinous amount of goals — it’s borderline self-indulgent how many goals he scored.
- He scored a ridiculous amount of goals at FIFA World Cups (12) and won the world's greatest competition a bunch of times (3).
- For three years, he actually made Americans give a s**t about soccer.
And we just leave it at that. We know that you’re supposed to have an opinion about the classic Diego Maradona vs. Pele argument, but most side with the mercurial genius of Maradona since his highlights weren’t filmed with a 1950s potato.
But watching Pele play is still awe-inspiring. Here is clearly a master who was preposterously ahead of his time with regards to his physical attributes, his unique flair and his approach.
There’s an oft repeated quote about Spanish striker Raul that says something along the lines of the Real Madrid legend not having been a 10/10 in one specific part of his game, but a 9/10 in everything.
The same could be said about Pele, except he was probably a 9.9/10 in everything. Here are 10 goals that highlight the all-around greatness of the King.
Photo: @EDUX77 | Twitter
10 Great Pele Goals
Creativity
Finishing ability
Shot power
Speed
Dribbling
Accuracy
Composure
Control
Free kicks
Passing
ON THIS DAY IN 1970:
Brazil crushed Italy 4-1 in the WC final. The last goal was a great team-play and a Pelé - Carlos Alberto masterclass. pic.twitter.com/kEyQLCpKEG— Seleção Brasileira (@BrazilStat) June 21, 2017
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