How Pelé was a trailblazer for both Brazil and the beautiful game

Analysis: Pelé's style on the pitch was simultaneously grounded in teamwork, consistency, charisma and captivation

It is far too easy to measure football success solely in terms of the number of goals scored, games played and medals won. Yet statistics do not allow for the quality, joy, and beauty of the game. Robert F. Kennedy was referring to GNP when he said "measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile". He could have equally been speaking of sport and the growing tendency to appreciate it primarily in terms of numbers.

Even though he has remarkable records (the only player to win three World Cups, for example), Brazilian soccer legend Pelé's appeal and significance transcend the numbers. In an attempt to comprehend the meaning of Brazil's victory in the 1970 World Cup Final, Jornal do Brazil claimed "Brazil’s victory with the ball compares with the conquest of the moon by the Americans."

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From ITV, all the highlights of Pelé at the 1970 World Cup

In recent years, football writers from Jonathan Wilson to David Goldbatt and Andreas Campomar have all used this quote to reckon with the impact and legacy of Brazil’s 1970 victory. In fact, the quote’s ubiquity has become something of a cliché.

At first, the hyperbole of the comparison could be dismissed as jingoistic nonsense. Yet, there is some truth in the connection. Just as