heritage of football and humanity, he is the best ever – Corriere.it

Pel said that when the time came to present himself to the good Lord, he would ask to be treated in Heaven as he had been treated on Earth. Because Pel had a long and happy life. And when he wasn’t, he smiled anyway because that’s what he wanted to look like, the quiet, joyful symbol of soccer in South America and around the world. The more Maradona approached the dark side, the more he dressed as the Best. It was his last way to remain unique. He too had many women, many children, but he held them back, always spreading words of peace. He has carefully nurtured his legend, he has made it his profession, appearing like a champion must be, the priest of good football. Always with bright but classic clothes, always with designer ties and moderate champagne, a man of the world invented by the ball, the naive, childish part of football, correct and presentable. To define his story on the field, we must avoid comparing him to Maradona. They were two different, unique players, whose qualities have always been only opinions in comparison. They were a priceless treasure, you could choose between them with your eyes closed, you were never wrong, you were ready to win. Pel had one more recognition: it was football that chose him. He was awarded the best footballer of the century by FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and the World Federation of History and Statistics. Even his star-studded colleagues have chosen him: all the winners of the Ballon d’Or, meeting in commission, have elected him first among the first. Eleven years ago, 376,496 people from 72 countries voted for it to become a World Heritage Site. The Brazilian government had already done something very similar when he was still playing. Angelo Moratti had managed to put him in front of a contract, to get him to sign it, but all of Brazil rebelled and the deal stopped. Two years later, to avoid temptation, the government declared Pel a national treasure, prevented by law from relocating, a prisoner of his beauty. I have often thought that the only players comparable to Pel were Cruyff and Di Stefano. Not because of Maradona, because of the proximity of step and role. Pel was first and foremost an athlete. The difference between him was knowing how to give strength to technique. When he scored against Italy in the 1970 final in Mexico City he didn’t score a memorable goal, he didn’t dribble past three opponents. He got up three feet off the ground and headed it and stayed in the air for an infinite amount of time. His opponent was Tarcisio Burgnich, perhaps the best Italian defender. And he was attached to him. He was just skipped over, ignored.

Pel’s real limitation was time. He played in years when communication was slow, television in the early hours. We can only hear what we see. Pel we have never really seen it. It was a saying, you look like Pel to me. But we didn’t understand what we were saying. Pel only left Brazil for long tours around the world, like a work of art to be shown and then immediately packed up and brought home. People flocked, he spread the legend every day. He wanted to be part of the miracle. Once in Colombia he was expelled, but the crowd turned against the referee, seriously threatening to invade the field. Eventually, Pel returned to the field and the referee was ejected. Another time in Nigeria, two warring clans signed a 48-hour peace deal to all go to the stadium to watch him play. He came to Italy for a friendly match with AC Milan at the San Siro. He was tired and injured, but his presence was mandatory in the contract. He took the field for 23 minutes, trotting. The newspapers the next day praised the young Trapattoni who had stopped him. The story of the Trap that stops Pel continues today. Because Pel lit up, it was enough to pass close to him to rise in energy. Altafini lost his job in Brazil in 1958 due to Pel’s inspiration. Altafini was 21 years old and a great centre-forward. He continues to swear that being surpassed by Pel was one of his strongest points of pride. Pel had a whim, almost a nostalgia: he didn’t like his name Pel. He loved to be called by the name his father gave him, Edson, Edison, as the inventor of the light bulb. Pel was a nickname earned on the field when he was a boy, a grumpy opponent shouted at him. The sound probably started out as bil, which is an offense in Brazilian. And in any case it could be misunderstood. At 18 that bad name, Pel, was already so famous in the world that there was no longer any misunderstanding.
Ps For the avoidance of doubt and respecting free will, Fifa subsequently gave the award for best footballer of the century to Maradona as well. Ex equal with Pel.