RIP Pele

[Einstein]

One of the greatest and most influential soccer players ever.

 

[Jarntt]

GOAT

 

[camelboy]

Greatest moment in soccer history. It didn't even go in

 

[nyc-cowboy]

El Rey Pele -I was fortunate enough to see him play in person for a couple of seasons when he came to the NY Cosmos in 1975.

RIP

 

[TRUTH87]

O reí Pele…

RIP

 

[StylisticS]

RIP Pele

 

[Robbieac]

Greatest moment in soccer history. It didn't even go in

I don’t know much about soccer.

Why was that considered such a good moment?

 

[Bigdog]

One of the greatest and most influential soccer players ever.

I would athlete ever. He is a natural treasure in Brazil and even stopped a war. RIP and my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

 

[RFABR]

I don’t know much about soccer.

Why was that considered such a good moment?

This dribble/feint (note that he doesn't touch the ball) is somewhat impossible to pull in real game situations - and that was at the WC semifinals. I don't know if there is another occurence registered on professional level. It was unseen at the time (more than 5 decades ago), and the fact that he even got to the final shot kind of defies the dynamics of the game.

It's a bit hard to translate into words, but that play sums up some of the various gifts that made Pelé the King: technique, awareness, athleticism, intelligence.

We all were expecting his departure due to his health struggles in the last years, but now that the time has come it's a little harsh to deal.

I could take a day long talking about his greatness and how he almost single handedly took football/soccer to the another level worldwide. RIP, King.

On a side note, his mother still lives and is 100 years old.

 

[camelboy]

I don’t know much about soccer.

Why was that considered such a good moment?

Just to add to what RFABR mentioned.

First listen to the commentator "The most magnificent dummy ..."

Then look at the genius of the play. He had a free run at the goalie, he knew it is 50/50 between him and the goalie, he knew the goalie (and the whole world) was thinking he was going to take it before the goalie and kick it. There was one person in the whole world who was thinking two seconds ahead of us all.

He decided to keep running on the same line and let the goalie make his move but not touch the ball and let it slip through on its own and then chase it and kick it to an empty net.

The genius of it is the world thinking one "obvious" way and he had totally different and more spectacular move. If he did the "obvious" it was 50/50, he ight have gotten a foul, collided with the keeper, or let the keeper clear it. But he pulled an outrages dummy.

As yourself, when you watched it the first time, you though he was gonna kick it before the keeper, right? just like all of us. And,his reaction after that priceless. I keep thinking it is going to go in every time I watch it LOL.

Here is another move (at 3:35 - the video should start there. In case it doesn't, just jump to 3:35)



The first one is the more outrages moment, but just want to show the genius of the man.

Nobody, NOBODY did these things back then or even thought it about it.

GENIUS,PURE GENIUS

 

[HeavyBarrel]

Not a soccer guy but this is the passing of an absolute legend and icon, RIP Pele

 

[jterrell]

My first 3 sports idols were Pele, Ali and Roger Staubach.
Probably still my favorite 3 athletes of all-time.