Whenever an iconic figure or one of our heroes pass away it can hit the rest of us hard, for it reminds us of our own mortality.
For frequently these figures are locked in our minds as never ageing, as we remember them as they were when they were at the peak of their career. What is more subconsciously and as unfeasible as it is we somehow believe they will live forever.
The passing of arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time last week has had this impact on many. There was somethig almost etherial about Pele the footballer and and the man. As reported in the New York Times obituary of the great man, Andy Warhol was quoted as saying “Pele is one of the few who contradict my theory, instead of 15 minutes of fame he will have 15 centuries.”
The term GOAT is bandied about far too much today, and frequently the label is given to players who on numerous levels of comparison are not worthy of being labelled the Greatest Of All Time. This will always be debatable, and come down to personal opinion.
As one would expect there has been plenty of footage from Pele’s career aired on social media and also on commercial and pay television. This has enabled those who never saw the great man perform on television or live during his career to see just how good he really was. The tackles that he had to ride, and the physical challenges he bore to try and stop him would never be tolerated today. His close skill on the pitches of yesteryear, which were a far cry from many of the superb surfaces that players enjoy today just added weight to the argument that he was the greatest.
However, having watched many of these clips in the past week there was one thing that stood out from Pele’s era that is rarely seen today.
The joy of playing, scoring, and winning.
Watch some of the footage again and there is sheer joy on display. Today there is adrenalin, and some will say passion, which has replaced that joy.
Compare the clenched fist celebrations of today and gesticulations to the crowd to those of Pele’s era.
Discussing this with another fan who recalled those days, they reflected that the joy left football around the end of the 1980’s and the start of the 1990’s. They pointed out that this was in part why the world embraced the performance of Cameroon at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when the Indomitable Lions progressed to the Quarter finals where they lost to England 2-3.
It was the African players who continued to play with a certain joie de vivre, that the rest of the world had lost, but which fans longed for. Some would argue that it is still the African players who give us those moments of sheer joy.
If ever there was a team that exuded the sheer joy of playing football it was the 1970 Brazilian team.
As one gets older one’s memory can play tricks on you. I remember 1970 because as a family we bought our first ever colour television. The world Cup ran from 31 May – 21 June and Wimbledon from 22 June to 4th July. I know we had the new television for Wimbledon and I believe we received it during or before the World Cup, because I remember being mesmerised by the game being in colour.
Was it the fact that this was the first World Cup ever televised in colour and that I witnessed it in colour, or was it that this Brazilian team as many have claimed for the past 50 years the best ever? Was it that belief and understanding that allowed them to play with such freedom and such joy?
It is a shame that the game has lost that. It is also a shame that it took the passing of Pele to recognise that loss.
As wonderful as the recent Qatar 2022 World Cup was, and how it was football itself that rescued the murky tournament from itself, was there the same joy?
The World Cup final was magnificent, perhaps the greatest final of all time. It was a final that many felt was a redemption for all that had happened off the pitch leading up to that moment.
When Gonzalo Montiel fired his penalty home and scored Argentina’s fourth there was joy for the team, their fans and the nation. Is it simply that the stakes have now become so high that we have to wait until that moment to feel or witness joy?
Maybe that was one of the reasons that Pele was one of the greats. That not only did he possess wonderful skill and ability, but he played with such joy. That joy connected him with those who watched him no matter where they came from, for the reason we play or watch the game is for the joy it brings us. Pele’s joy was linked to ours. He gave us a truly special gift.
