BENGALURU: With Latin America still high in the aftermath of the World Cup returning to their continent after 20 years, South America’s footballing icon Pele breathed his last on Thursday. While bereaved Brazil is coping with the loss, sportspeople in Bengaluru also mourn the loss of the ‘King of Football’.
“Pelé has always been known for his great skills, quick movement and agility with the football. His generation set the tone for his national team and in fact, we used to practice Brazilian drills in our training sessions as well. What can I say about Pelé that hasn’t already been said? His presence was immense,” shares Chitra Kamal Gangadharan, head coach at Bangalore United Football Club.
“When I was growing up, we never had a television. But one of my teachers was a big football fan. He used to tell us that Pelé played the game upside-down. His head used to be near the ground and his feet were in the air. We used to wonder how that was possible. Eventually, we discovered YouTube and there we saw his old highlights of him scoring goals with the bicycle kick or the scissor kick and that’s when I understood what my teacher meant. He has been a great role model for the youth,” says Deepak Kalia, business manager of Stadium Sports Foundation.
According to Roopesh Ciruvilla, head of soccer schools at Stadium FC, Pelé changed football for everyone.
“Brazil has produced wonderful talent in their history from Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká to now Neymar, but Pelé is where it all started. He made himself known all over the world without social media. Even in Maradona’s era, you can argue that TV was there. But Pelé had nothing and yet, all of us know and revere him,” he says.
While his impact on football has been nothing short of legendary, Pelé is one of the few who transcended his sport to be an icon for all sports in general.
“He has influenced me as an athlete even though we play different sports. When I used to play, I always drew on his sense of simplicity and his finesse. He gave me glimpses of how to organise the game and one’s self while producing the results we were after. Very few athletes can do that, it takes a deep understanding of themselves, their environment and the sport,” concludes Arjun Gautham, mental coach for tennis professionals.
In memory
Brazilian footballing star, Neymar Jr, who equalled Pelé’s record-high tally of 77 international goals for the country, took to Insta to give his regards.“Before Pelé, 10 was just a number. I would say before Pelé football was just a sport. Pelé has changed it all. He turned football into art, into entertainment.
He gave voice to the poor, to the blacks and especially: he gave visibility to Brazil. Soccer and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He’s gone but his magic remains (sic),” he wrote in a post.