Any amount of money invested in Pelé’s legacy is worth it

Alejandro Panfil @AlePanfil

Just as Leonardo Da Vinci left a deep mark on the art-world, Edson Arantes do Nascimento left his on the soccer-world. He was a real artist with the ball bouncing between his feet and thus, has become an icon. That is why it is no coincidence that a few days ago, the card that’s described as “1958 ALIFABOLAGET Pelé # 635” was purchased for $ 295,200, the highest price ever paid for a soccer card. Despite the fact that “Salvator Mundi” by Da Vinci, the highest selling painting of all times, was sold for $450.3 million at Christie’s in 2017, we believe the metaphor still stands, differences aside.

Pelé broke into this sport not just to help Brazil win his first FIFA World Cup, but to become a legend that would survive many generations of soccer fans and dispute until these days the title of “best player ever”, which of course is also claimed by the Argentinian Diego Maradona and others. Even though in South America it is a common chitchat topic, the debate on who is the best player ever, if Pelé or Diego, is clearly based on the historic soccer rivalry between the two countries. But that’s another story. No rivalry can deny the quality of Pelé’s game and the importance he had for Brazil and for the history of soccer.

It is public knowledge that the three most traditionally important national teams in Southamerican soccer are Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay and each of them have had a golden era: Uruguay between the 20’s and 50's; Brazil had its first one between the 50’s and 70’s and its second, between 1994 and 2002; and Argentina had all its glory between 1978 and 1990. Uruguay was the first World Champion of soccer: the tiny country surprised everyone winning two gold Olympic medals in 1924 and 1928 and winning in 1930, at home, the first World Cup in history. 20 years later, after WW2, Uruguay ended its golden era with one last dance beating Brazil 2-1 at the Maracanã in front of approximately 200.000 fans in one of the most iconic finals of all times, immortalized as the “Maracanazo”. Nevertheless, Brazil’s glory days were about to begin.

But it took Brazil two more World Cups to come to terms with what had happen, recover its self-esteem and put behind the humiliation they had suffered at the Maracanã. That was when, a young Pelé emerged with a mission and everything changed thereafter for the Canarinha.  At 17, he began his amazing journey travelling with the national team to Sweden where he showed the world that he was the first global soccer star: he played the last 4 games of the tournament and scored 6 goals in his first world championship (an insane 1.5 goal per match). Needless to say, Brazil won the 1958 World Cup. Unluckily, Pelé suffered an injury at the beginning of Chile 1962, having played only 2 games and scored one single goal. But Brazil won anyway the 1962 World Cup. In the 1966 WC in England, he was hit hard in the 2 games he played and Brazil was unexpectedly eliminated in the group phase. But he came back in Mexico 70 and shone like a true star, playing all the matches in the tournament, scoring 4 goals and raising Brazil’s third World Cup.

This brief abstract of Pelé’s epic history might work as a hint to understand why somebody would spend almost $300.000 on one card that depicts him. Of course the collection would never be complete without references to the other four greatest soccer players of all times: Alfredo Di Stefano, Johan Cruyff, Diego Armando Maradona and Lionel Messi. But if winning World Cups is stablished as a criterion to determine who the best of the best is –and it would be a very valid one- Pelé is undoubtedly N°1. To complete his glorious stats with Brazil, he has 14 games and 12 goals in World Cups and, in total, he scored 77 goals in 91 games (0.84 goals per game).

But Pelé not only gave Brazil that winning character that remains to these days – the national team won two more WC (1994 and 2002) and became the country with most trophies in this tournament-, he also put Santos on the map. Until his departure to the New York Cosmos in 1975, Pelé had been a one jersey player. Just like Real Madrid or Bayern Munich are nowadays, the Pelé’s Santos was one of the best teams in the world. They won the Copa Libertadores twice (in 1962 and 1963) and two Intercontinental Cups (in 1962 against Benfica and 1963 against AC Milan). The team became so famous and powerful that it began to travel around the globe playing different competitions or even friendly matches to the delight of soccer fans. O Peixe, as Pelé's former team is known in Brazil, made a lot of money spreading the talent, skills and joy of the game that the team displayed so exceptionally. Although it is said that Pelé has scored more than 1000 goals in his career, the fact is that with Santos, he scored no less than an enviable sum of 642 goals in 661 games (another insane 0,97 goals per game).

At 80 years old, Pelé is a living legend of soccer. Before his reign, Brazil was known for its beautiful style and for being a factory of talented players, but after Pelé, it became the country that won more cups in the world than any other and it continues to be one of the strongest National Teams today.

If someone had the possibility and decided to buy a masterpiece by Da Vinci, it would make sense not only because of the aesthetics of the object but mainly because of what the artist meant for art history. So, why wouldn't someone do the same with a part of Pelé's legacy, knowing what this genius not only gave Brazil, but soccer?