Local greats salute Pele

Some of the country’s football greats have paid tribute to Brazilian legend Pele who died on Thursday, saying he inspired them to realise their dreams.

Considered by many as the greatest of all time (GOAT), Pele whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento died at 82 due to failure of multiple organs, a result of the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous clinical condition.

Flames all-time leading scorer Kinnah ‘Electric’ Phiri said he touched lofty heights because he copied Pele’s style.

Said the former Nyasa Big Bullets forward and coach: “In those good old days in the 1960s and 70s, I would copy his style of play after watching his highlights on a projector.

“I would practice the way he dribbled, his movements and shots and that largely helped me to become a good player.

“He inspired me and albeit many others. So, when I heard about his death last evening [Thursday], I was really touched. To me, he is the greatest footballer ever.”

Former Flames midfield maestro Ernest ‘Wire’ Mtawali, the only Malawian to have played in one of the five top leagues in Europe when he signed for Toulouse in France, recalled how he got punished for skipping a lesson while in primary school to watch Pele’s documentary on a projector during his childhood days in Chilomoni Township, Blantyre.

“That’s how I admired Pele so much that I grew up wanting to be like him. He was such a great inspiration.

“He had all the attributes of a complete player and inspired a lot of players across the world. He was such a genius.

“Pele also showed the world that through football, people of different culture and race can live together. It’s a very sad moment.”

Ex-Flames and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers midfielder ‘Senator’ Kennedy Malunga, one of two Malawian footballers to have been nominated for the Confederation of African Football African Player of the Year Award in the 1980s, said: “Pele was the best player that ever lived.

“I remember watching his highlights as a player, what a genius he was! May his soul rest in peace.”

On his part, celebrated ex-Bullets and Flames star Lawrence ‘Lule’ Waya said he idolised Pele.

He said: “There is this debate as to who was better between Pele and [Diego] Maradona, but I believe Pele was in a class of his own.

“I watched his highlights and I could not help, but appreciate his talents. He inspired me a lot. I wanted to be like him and although I never reached his levels, I achieved a lot in football by emulating him.”

“Besides football, we loved to hear about his involvement in charity and inspirational talks.”

Football Association of Malawi president Walter Nyamilandu described Pele as the greatest player ever.

Said the former Flames and Wanderers defender: “He made football popular. The one who defined the art of football and showed the world how beautiful football can be.

“He was someone who inspired a lot of footballers and made the game look so simple. His record of scoring goals at will is unparalleled, he was extremely gifted.

“Pele raised the bar that no other player has been able to rival. He is simply the godfather of football.”

Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are among many superstars footballers who have paid tribute to the fallen legend.

Neymar, who is Brazil’s joint-highest scorer alongside Pele on 77 goals, posted an emotional message following the death of his idol.

“He’s gone, but his magic remains. Pelé is forever,” he wrote on Instagram.

“I would say before Pelé football was just a sport. Pelé changed it all. He turned football into art, into entertainment.”

Ronaldo said Pele’s “memory will live forever in each and every one of us football lovers”.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward wrote on Instagram: “A mere ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing.

“An inspiration to so many millions, a reference yesterday, today and forever. The love you always showed me was reciprocated in every moment we shared even from a distance.

“He will never be forgotten and his memory will live forever in each and every one of us football lovers. Rest in peace King Pelé.”

Paris Saint-Germain forwards Messi and Mbappe also paid their respects.

Mbappe posted an image of himself and Pele with the words: “The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten. RIP king.”

Messi simply wrote: “Rest in peace, Pele”.

Pele rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history.

A Reuters report said tributes poured in from across the worlds of sport, politics and popular culture for a figure who epitomised Brazil’s dominance of the beautiful game.

The government of President Jair Bolsonaro, who leaves office tomorrow, declared three days of mourning, and said in a statement that Pele was “a great citizen and patriot, raising the name of Brazil wherever he went”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Pele’s legacy would live forever. “The game. The king. Eternity,” he tweeted.

US President Joe Biden said on his Twitter that Pele’s rise from humble beginnings to soccer legend was a story of “what is possible”.

Pele had been undergoing chemotherapy since he had a tumor removed from his colon in September last year.

In addition to three World Cup titles, Pele won two Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, and two Intercontinental Cups.

He took home the World Cup for the first time as a 17-year-old in Sweden in 1958, the second in Chile four years later and the third in Mexico in 1970, when he led what is considered one of the greatest sides ever to play the game.

Pele retired from Santos in 1974, but a year later made a surprise comeback by signing a lucrative deal to join the New York Cosmos in the then nascent North American Soccer League.

In a glorious 21-year career he scored between 1 281 and 1 283 goals, depending on how matches are counted.

On Monday, a 24-hour wake will be held for Pele in the centre of the field at the stadium of Santos, his hometown club where he started playing as a teenager and quickly rose to fame.

The next day, a procession carrying his coffin will pass through the streets of Santos, passing the neighbourhood where his 100-year-old mother lives, and ending at the Ecumenical Memorial Necropolis Cemetery, where he will be buried in a private ceremony.