World Cup 1958: When a young Pele guided Brazil to its first title

By Lokmat English Desk | Published: November 2, 2022 12:24 PM2022-11-02T12:24:22+5:302022-11-02T12:26:01+5:30

One of the greatest football players of all time, Brazil legend Pele announced his arrival at the 1958 World ...

World Cup 1958: When a young Pele guided Brazil to its first title | World Cup 1958: When a young Pele guided Brazil to its first title

World Cup 1958: When a young Pele guided Brazil to its first title

One of the greatest football players of all time, Brazil legend Pele announced his arrival at the 1958 World Cup. Pele gave Brazil a two-goal cushion in the 55th minute when he netted a stunningly breathtaking goal — standing in a crowd in the penalty area with his back towards the goal, he trapped a high pass with his chest, knocked the ball over his head while being marked by a defender, whirled around and volleyed it past Swedish goalkeeper Karl Svensson. A legend was born.Pele and Brazil launched their glorious journey at the World Cup by winning their first title. Pele became the youngest scorer at a World Cup when he scored against Wales at the age of 17 years and 239 days. 

He is also the youngest player ever to win the World Cup and is the only player to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970).Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, Pele was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record.


 

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