If he were alive, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, would turn 84 this Wednesday (23). Despite having said goodbye to the field in 1977, the legacy that the Athlete of the Century left impacts even generations that did not see him on the field. This is what a survey carried out by the Football Museum in partnership with Agência Galo shows, which identified more than 300 terms used by the public, in different age groups, to refer to the number 10. The mentions were captured between the 23rd of July and August 22nd of this year.
The nickname “King of Football”, by which Pelé is known worldwide, is reflected in the survey. The word “King” appears in 59% of mentions, being the most used among all generations, followed, precisely, by the term “football”. The third most mentioned memory by Brazilians, according to the research, is “craque”.
In the specific section of people up to 25 years old, the highlights are the terms “Brazil” and “Santos”. Using the Canarinho team’s shirt, Pelé was a three-time world champion, while wearing the Peixe shirt, number 10 won 24 titles, including two Interclub World Cups and two Libertadores, in addition to scoring 1,091 of his 1,283 goals. Among those over 60, who were able to see the King of Football play, the terms in evidence are “goal” and “best”.
The survey was also stratified by the five regions of the country. In the Southeast there are mentions such as “genius”, “legend” and “best in the world”. In the Northeast, “champion” and “phenomenon”. In the South, “goal” and “crack”. In the North, the most remembered words are “idol” and “unique”. Finally, in the Central-West, “selection” and “success” were the terms associated with Pelé, who passed away in December 2022 due to colon cancer.
There are some curious references to moments in Pelé’s life. Cases of “Xuxa”, alluding to the Athlete of the Century’s relationship with the artist, “minister”, recalling the King of Football’s time in the Sports portfolio in the government of former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso between 1995 and 1998, and even “Maradona”, due to the rivalry with the Argentine idol for the role of greatest football player in history.
Pele Room
Opened in September 2008, the Football Museum underwent its first major renovation at the end of last year, reopening in July. One of the new features was the creation of a room dedicated to Pelé. The space recently received the New York Cosmos shirt worn by the King of Football in the last game of his career, a friendly between the United States team and Santos (the Cosmos won by 2-1, one of the goals being scored by the Athlete of the Century himself, who played half-time for each team).
“Pelé stopped playing 50 years ago and remains in the Brazilian memory of football, because he inhabits us, represents desire, instinct, possibilities”, said Leonel Kaz, one of the curators of the Museum’s renovation project, with Marcelo Duarte and Marília Bonas.
The Football Museum is located at the Pacaembu Stadium, at Praça Charles Miller, in São Paulo. The site is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am (Brasília time) to 6pm, with access allowed until 5pm. Tickets cost R$24 (full) and R$12 (half), with entry free for children up to seven years old and for everyone on Tuesdays.
