The Brazilian won the World Cup three times. Here, three men who came face-to-face with the striker reveal their experiences
Few people had heard of Pelé before this tournament in Sweden. By the end – when he had scored twice in the final at the age of just 17 – he had become a household name. The great Swedish winger Kurt Hamrin recalls a “rare talent” who was humble and kind.
“In 1958 he was unknown to us Swedes. At the start of the tournament he was injured and didn’t play until the last match of the group stage. I first heard of him a few days before the final, apparently Brazil had a 17-year-old left wing that scored four goals in three games. But I’ll be honest, we were more worried about other players like Vavá and Garrincha.
We learned that we should have been worried. Pelé made two goals, including one amazing volley shot. I was impressed that he lacked the flaws in his game, even though he was so young. However, he was not the best in the finals, it was Didi and Garrincha, but you could see he had a rare talent.
When we met a few times later in his career, he was the best in the world. I particularly remember a friendly in Stockholm against Brazil before the World Cup in England in 1966. Then he did something I had never seen before. Directly from the kick off he shot from the centre circle when our goalie stood far out. The goalkeeper barely made it back and tipped the ball over the bar, but the audience applauded and laughed at the bold attempt.
He was incredibly humble. The win against us meant Brazil’s first World championship gold medal ever, and to show their appreciation to the Swedish audience in the stands, and to show respect towards us as opponents, they took a giant Swedish flag and ran lap of honour with the entire squad. Also, I know that when he did not play the first matches he sat in the stands in a small Swedish town among the common people. You don’t often see today’s stars do that.”
“Pelé was like no one else. He was a devil! The best of all time for me. He had a lot of personality, he headed well, had a good touch on the ball and, above all, he was a good teammate. He was a fantastic player but also very humble. You don’t always get that combination. He never complained about his teammates, he always encouraged them. I played a number of times against him. He was always a gentleman. Apart from being a great football player, he was also very educated. That’s why it’s worth remembering him.
When we played Brazil in 1962 they were the reigning world champions and we lost the game 2-0. We knew we would have a tough game and so it proved. Mário Zagallo and Pelé scored the goals. We held out until the 56th minute but then Zagallo scored and it was an uphill battle just getting the ball after that. Pelé – who else – scored the second goal, which killed the game. I am honoured to have shared a pitch with Pelé.”