Pele at the World Cup: A look at all four tournaments
Published:Pele at the World Cup: A look at all four tournaments
Pele, arguably the greatest player to grace the World Cup finals, has died at the age of 82.
The Brazilian had been in hospital in Sao Paulo since late November, but died of multiple organ failure on Thursday.
Pele won the World Cup three times, the first when just 17 years of age, and here we take a tournament-by-tournament look at his career in the sport’s biggest event.
A inspiração e o amor marcaram a jornada de Rei Pelé, que faleceu no dia de hoje.
Amor, amor e amor, para sempre.
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Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today.Love, love and love, forever. pic.twitter.com/CP9syIdL3i
— Pelé (@Pele) December 29, 2022
Sweden 1958
Pele missed the first two matches through injury before making his World Cup debut against the Soviet Union.
Pelé, the only man to win the #FIFAWorldCup three times.
A legend of our game.
Rest in peace, the Eternal King. pic.twitter.com/1MS3DPxPDF
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) December 29, 2022
His first goal came in the 1-0 quarter-final win over Wales and he scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against France.
Aged 17 years and 239 days, Pele became the youngest player to appear in a World Cup final and scored twice – the first with a flick over a defender and volley into the corner of the net – as Brazil beat hosts Sweden 5-2.
Chile 1962
By now Pele had star billing but, while Brazil retained the trophy, their talisman missed most of the tournament through injury.
He set up one goal and scored a memorable second, surging past four defenders, in the first game against Mexico but tore a thigh muscle against Czechoslovakia which brought a premature end to his World Cup.
Instead Garrincha inspired Brazil to glory as they beat the Czechs 3-1 in the final.
England 1966
Brazil travelled to England with high hopes of a hat-trick of triumphs but Pele was singled out for some brutal treatment in the first match against Bulgaria.
I have so many memories of Pele, without doubt the best footballer I ever played against (with Bobby Moore being the best footballer I ever played alongside). For me Pele remains the greatest of all time and I was proud to be on the the pitch with him. RIP Pele and thank you. pic.twitter.com/oCpQlw7EIK
— Sir Geoff Hurst (@TheGeoffHurst) December 29, 2022
He found the net with a free-kick, becoming the first man to score in three successive tournaments.
Pele missed the subsequent defeat to Hungary as a result of his injuries but was brought back to face Portugal, who dished out some more horror tackles as Brazil were effectively kicked out of the tournament.
Mexico 1970
Pele had vowed never to play in the World Cup again but changed his mind and was rewarded with a third winners’ medal.
One of the greatest to have graced the beautiful game.
Farewell, Pelé. You will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/bMUEat5MP2
— England (@England) December 29, 2022
He almost scored from the halfway line against Czechoslovakia and brought an unforgettable save from Gordon Banks against England as Brazil swept all aside, culminating in a 4-1 mauling of Italy in the final.
Pele’s perfectly-weighted pass to Carlos Alberto for Brazil’s fourth goal rounded off one of the all-time great moves, executed by arguably the finest team in World Cup history.