Pele, the soccer superstar, died yesterday. In many ways, the timing was fitting since the World Cup just concluded, and Pele is rightly considered the greatest player of the World Cup, having won the tournament twice!
Pundits and fans have long disputed whether Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, or Pele is the greatest of all time. It is hard for me to say for certain since I never saw Pele or Maradona play week in and week out. I can say that watching Messi with that frequency makes me believe that there could not possibly be anyone who could equal what he has done for the past decade.
That said, Pele inspired both Messi and Maradona to achieve their best and to leave South America to pursue their dreams - a path that was not open to Pele due to restrictions on the movement of soccer players to Europe during his playing days. In many ways, Pele made possible the careers that Messi and Maradona had because European clubs knew just how much untapped talent lay in South America after witnessing Brazil's and Pele's jogo bonito, or beautiful game.
Though Brazil, for whom Pele played, is the arch rival of the 2022 World Cup winners, Argentina, I like to think this past World Cup belongs to all of South America - especially since that continent has not crowed a champion in 20 years. This one's for you, too, Pele! Thanks for being you!
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