Ep. 94: Pele – Top 6 Greatest Achievements
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
Today's episode, is on a man that is responsible for the nation of Brazil being such a powerhouse in the world game of football. Pele helped Brazil win their first World Cup in Sweden at the age of just 17 and went onto win two more world cups, one in Chile and the other in Mexico, and thus the only player to win three World Cups.
He holds the Guinness World Record for the most goals scored in a career of 1,279 goals in 1,363 games and continues even after his death to be one of the most influential and inspiring ambassadors to the game of football worldwide.
Today’s mnemonic is on his top six greatest achievements.
So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Summary
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈɛtsõ aˈɾɐ̃tʃiz du nasiˈmẽtu]; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (Portuguese pronunciation: [peˈlɛ]), was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century.[2][3] In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record.[4]
Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player to do so and the youngest player to win a World Cup (17). He was nicknamed O Rei (The King) following the 1958 tournament. Pelé is the joint-top goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. At the club level, he was Santos's all-time top goalscorer with 643 goals in 659 games. In a golden era for Santos, he led the club to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores, and to the 1962 and 1963 Intercontinental Cup. Credited with connecting the phrase "The Beautiful Game" with football, Pelé's "electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals" made him a star around the world, and his teams toured internationally to take full advantage of his popularity.[5] During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world. After retiring in 1977, Pelé was a worldwide ambassador for football and made many acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the honorary president of the New York Cosmos.
Averaging almost a goal per game throughout his career, Pelé was adept at striking the ball with either foot in addition to anticipating his opponents' movements on the field. While predominantly a striker, he could also drop deep and take on a playmaking role, providing assists with his vision and passing ability, and he would also use his dribbling skills to go past opponents. In Brazil, he was hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football and for his outspoken support of policies that improve the social conditions of the poor. His emergence at the 1958 World Cup, where he became a black global sporting star, was a source of inspiration.[6] Throughout his career and in his retirement, Pelé received numerous individual and team awards for his performance on the field, his record-breaking achievements, and his legacy in the sport.
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pel%C3%A9]
Mnemonic
Pele – Top 6 Greatest Achievements Mnemonic – Fifa SCAMM
(Picture Pele as the judge for the game of football and putting away all the corrupt officials that have brought the game into disrepute)
1. FIFA Player of the Century (joint winner with Diego Maradona)
2. Swedish World Cup – 1958
3. Chilean World Cup – 1962
4. Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee - 1999
5. Mexican World Cup – 1970
6. Most Career Goals in History
Five Fun Facts
1. Pele was actually named after the famous inventor Thomas Edison. Why you ask? Well, it was because electricity was introduced to his hometown when he was born so hence Edson which is Portuguese for Edison and is pronounced Ed-sow.
2. Pele had a humble beginning shining shoes and selling roasted peanuts outside movie theatres. His first football was a sock stuffed with rags.
3. Pele’s name was so big around the world that his mere presence had the power to stop a war. This happened in 1967 in Nigeria when his Brazilian team Santos was on tour. A 48-hour ceasefire was declared to allow troops from both sides to watch him play.
4. Pele is the only footballer to win three World Cups. In his first World Cup in 1958 in Sweden, he scored six goals in four games and also won the FIFA Young Player Award at the age of just 17.
5. Pele’s first contract to his Brazilian club Santos paid him $10 dollars US per month. In contrast 19 years later, he signed a record-breaking three-year deal for 7 million with the American team the New York Cosmos which at the time made him the highest paid team athlete in the world.
Bonus Fact: Pele has his own national day in Brazil. The date is November 19 which is the date that Pele was believed to have scored his 1,000th career goal playing for his team Santos against their arch rivals Vasco da Gama.
Now I must mention that recently my girlfriend took up football mainly as a result of Pele’s influence. She plays as a goalie, and she’s actually a very good player, a real keeper! However, and unfortunately our daughter Cinderella is absolutely no good at football at all. She keeps running away from the ball!
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Three Question Quiz
Q.1. How many international caps did Pele win? Options are 47, 62 or 97
Q.2. How did Pele score his 1000th goal at first class level? Options are a header, a penalty or the hand of God
Q.3. How old was Pele when he passed?
Bonus Q. Which governmental position in Brazil did Pele serve in for three-years? Options are, Minister for Sport, Foreign Affairs Minister or the Minister for Education
Mnemonic Recap
Pele – Top 6 Greatest Achievements Mnemonic – Fifa SCAMM
(Picture Pele as the judge for the game of football and putting away all the corrupt officials that have brought the game into disrepute)
1. FIFA Player of the Century (joint winner with Diego Maradona)
2. Swedish World Cup – 1958
3. Chilean World Cup – 1962
4. Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee - 1999
5. Mexican World Cup – 1970
6. Most Career Goals in History
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. How many international caps did Pele win? Options are 47, 62 or 97
A. 97 international caps. Of the 97 games he played he scored 93 goals
Q.2. How did Pele score his 1000th goal at first class level? Options are a header, a penalty or the hand of God
A. Penalty against Vasco de Gama 19 November, 1969
Q.3. How old was Pele when he passed?
A. 82 years old passing on 29th December 2022
Bonus Q. Which governmental position in Brazil did Pele serve in for three-years? Options are, Minister for Sport, Foreign Affairs Minister or the Minister for Education
A. Minister for Sport
Word of the Week
debouch
[ dih-boosh ]
verb
to come forth; emerge.
Example
Football lovers all around the world would debouch to watch the great Pele when he went on tour with his Brazilian team Santos.
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
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References
https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/sport/article/3208740/pele/index.html
https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/people/pele-achievements-and-records/
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football-10-things-about-the-legend-pele