World Soccer

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During the World Cup, a video circulated on social media with the caption: “Pele did it first”. The premise was simple: it showed a compilation of some of the game’s greatest talents performing outrageous pieces of skill or scoring iconic goals, followed by grainy black-and-white footage of Pele doing the exact same thing decades earlier. Cruyff, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo (both Brazilian and Portuguese), Messi, Neymar…the call-list went on and on. The video was liked, shared and viewed millions of times. Part of its appeal perhaps lay in the fact that much of the footage had not been seen before by many. Beyond the 1970 World Cup, there is relatively little of Pele’s career that has been widely seen by modern audiences, with large parts of it taking place away from TV…

“We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele”FIFA president Gianni Infantino offers his own tribute to Pele The world of football stood still in mourning after it was announced that Brazil’s greatest-ever player had passed away at the age of 82, having been hospitalised during the World Cup with colon cancer. “Before Pele, ‘10’ was just a number,” said Neymar, who matched Pele’s scoring record for Brazil during the World Cup, in an Instagram post. “Before Pele football was just a sport. Pele has changed it all…He turned football into art, into entertainment. He’s gone but his magic remains.” Ronaldo, the other player in Brazil’s top three record scorers, added: “Unique. Cool. Technical. Creative. Perfect. One of a kind. Where…

4 Players to have made over 600 Premier League appearances after James Milner joined Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and Ryan Giggs in surpassing the milestone. $622.8m Total amount spent on agent fees for men’s transfers in 2022, according to FIFA. 31 Years between Claudio Ranieri’s first and second spells in charge of Cagliari after the 71-year-old manager was reappointed as the club’s boss. 3 Terms that Gianni Infantino will serves as FIFA president after it was confirmed that he will stand unopposed in March’s election. £250,000 Reported transfer fee paid by Tottenham Hotspur Women to Chelsea Women for striker Bethany England – a new British and Women’s Super League record. 14 Matches for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland to score 20 Premier League goals – the quickest player to reach the tally in history, surpassing Kevin Phillips’ 21 games. €200m Reported annual salary…

Pele. Four letters. One name. One entire world of social and sporting enchantment. This was the legacy of the man and the footballer. His genius, personality and humility connected with not only fans of all ages around the world but with millions for whom the game meant next-to-nothing. Wherever he went he stopped the traffic. His presence once briefly stopped a civil war in Nigeria. Since Pele’s death several biographers have spoken of regret at failing to reach beyond his football. But that was the point. Pele’s life was football – from his childhood to the latter years. Simply being Pele was synonymous with the Jogo Bonito he graced. The zenith of Pele’s career crowned a watershed convergence for football. The 1970 World Cup in Mexico, where he led Brazil to a third…