The 70 Best Famous Phrases of Pelé

Pele whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Brazil, 1940) is a retired soccer player who is considered by many to be the best player in history.

Many times referred to as the best historical player of Santos and the Brazilian team, Pelé went on to win three World Cups and was decorated as the best soccer player of the 20th century according to FIFA.

Famous quotes from Pelé

To learn more about the milestones of this legendary footballer, We have proposed to compile the best phrases of Pelé as well as his most famous statements and reflections.

1. The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness of winning.

A phrase to remember that effort pays off.

2. Everything is practice.

Training is the habit that makes footballers with heart great.

3. If you are first, you are first. If you are second, you are nothing.

Only the champion is remembered and goes down in history. Nobody remembers the second one.

4. If you don’t educate people, it’s easy to manipulate them.

A reflection in a philosophical tone from “O Rei”.

5. You should respect people and work hard to stay fit. I used to train very hard. When other players went to the beach after training, I was hitting the ball.

About his work ethic.

6. Wherever you go, there are three icons that everyone knows: Jesus Christ, Pelé and Coca-Cola.

Three universal icons, each one in its own area.

7. Pelé does not die. Pelé will never die. Pelé will continue forever.

Without a doubt, the memory of this legendary player will not be erased from the collective memory.

8. A penalty is a cowardly way to score.

Pelé didn’t want them to make it easy for him.

9. Brazil eats, sleeps and drinks football. Live football!

About the Brazilian fans and their devotion to the beautiful game.

10. People argue between Pelé or Maradona. Di Stéfano is the best, much more complete.

Although it may be hard to believe, Pelé himself uttered this phrase, making it clear who was, in his opinion, the best footballer in history.

11. If I made a difference it was thanks to my education and my family base, which is why I was never involved in scandals.

A structured family was key to Edson’s athletic development.

12. If I die one day, I will feel happy because I tried to do my best. My sport allowed me to do so much because it is the greatest sport in the world.

About football and his personal legacy.

13. Enthusiasm is everything. It should be tight and vibrant like a guitar string.

Without attitude, victories and titles do not come.

14. My mother told me: “don’t play soccer. Your father played and got injured, and now he can’t support the family.”

Advice that, fortunately, he did not follow.

15. All my life I thank God. My family was very religious.

About his position regarding the existence of God.

16. The rules of football are an education: equal and fair for everyone.

Everyone competes with the same rules.

17. I don’t think I’m a very good businessman. I act too much with my heart.

Too much impulsiveness is not a good advisor in the field of business.

18. The World Cup is a very important way to measure good players. It is proof of a great player.

Facing other nations and their best players is a unique experience.

19. When you play against dirty players or very tough players, it is easy to escape, because you know what they are going to do. But when the player is tough, but intelligent, it is much more difficult.

Hence, a good defender also has to be intelligent and organized.

20. I represent Brazil around the world. Wherever I go, I have to do my best so as not to disappoint the Brazilian people.

About his responsibility to his people.

21. I always think that I would have become an actor if I had not been a football player.

His comedic skills were always excellent.

22. God gave me the gift of playing football, and I achieved the rest because he took care of me and prepared me.

God disposes, but each one is responsible for doing their job.

23. To be a striker you need to be in good shape.

Logically, speed and agility are very powerful weapons for a battering ram.

24. When you’re young you do a lot of stupid things.

Youth is sometimes accompanied by certain doses of madness.

25. He was a coward when he played. He only worried me about the evolution of my career.

Recognizing that he was quite selfish as a player.

26. The Brazilian people should be proud of what Pelé has done to promote and defend the country.

Certainly, Pelé has always tried to influence politics and social issues.

27. When I was a striker I always wanted to score. He encouraged the crowd. But today Brazil has lost that will to have the ball and dominate the opponent.

About the change in the concept of Brazilian football.

28. The feeling of being retired is bad. I still dream that I’m dribbling, scoring goals.

Not being able to do what he loves most is a bit suffocating for O Rei.

29. I miss the ball, the enthusiasm and energy in the stadium, the fight to achieve a good result, the joy and sadness in victory and defeat.

About his past feelings.

30. I will never be a football coach. I know that being a coach is complicated and I don’t want to complicate my life.

A sign that he is a person who wants to live a relaxed life.

31. There will never be another Pelé. My father and mother closed the factory. I am unique and unrepeatable.

Ironic phrase about his football and his charisma: unique.

32. Maradona was an excellent player but unfortunately everyone can see what he has done with his life.

A stinging criticism of the Argentine star’s drug addiction.

33. The only important header goal that Maradona scored was with his hand.

About the “hand of God” goal, which went up on the scoreboard but had to be disallowed.

34. No individual can win a match by himself.

It always takes the team to win championships.

35. There is no worse punishment than being kicked by an Englishman at Wembley.

About the unrefined technique of many British players.

36. God gave me the gift of knowing how to play soccer, but I achieved the rest by training and preparing myself thoroughly to accept any result.

The mentality comes from oneself.

37. I will never be a football coach. I know that being a coach is complicated and I don’t want to complicate my life with that. Nor could I aspire to have a career like the one I had as a player, that is unattainable even for me.

A great reflection on what it means to be a coach.

38. To compare himself to me, Maradona first has to ask permission from Sócrates, Tostao, Rivelino, Zico and Romario, as well as other Brazilian players. Then he would have to ask permission from Di Stéfano and Moreno, two great Argentines who were better than him.

Another poisoned dart for Maradona.

39. The Argentines are making a mistake, they should not invest time in assigning me a rival like Di Stéfano or Maradona; They should invest it in realizing that I am better than the two of them combined.

Although it contradicts another of his famous phrases, Pelé discovers here his most arrogant side.

40. It is blasphemy and it looks bad for me to say it, but in the polls I am more popular than Jesus Christ. It makes me laugh, I am Catholic and I know what Jesus means and the values ​​of him.

About his world fame.

41. Messi will mark an era, but he will never be a legend.

The Argentine player Leo Messi has never been among his favorites.

42. It’s not arrogance, it’s just that I don’t accept that it is said that there is a better soccer player than me until they find one who has surpassed my thousand goals, then we would talk.

Certainly, that figure is unattainable for any mortal.

43. Maradona is not a good coach because he leads a strange lifestyle and that does not go unnoticed in the team.

Leadership begins with good habits, and Maradona is not an example of this.

44. I had a great time back then because the Swedish girls loved us, especially if you were black.

A famous quote about his success with European women.

45. If a team has good, quality players, artists, it will be a spectacle. Otherwise it is not worth it to turn on the TV or go to the stadium.

He makes his conception of football very clear.

46. ​​All players on all teams play the same, the difference comes when one has two or three players who have individual abilities. There, my friend, is the glory.

Creativity is not a gift that many footballers possess.

47. Neymar is ready to be the leader of Brazil.

About the PSG star.

48. When I went to the Nya Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg on June 15, 1958, there were 50,000 people eager to see the little black boy wearing the number 10. Many saw me as a kind of mascot compared to the enormous physique of the Russians.

About one of his matches in Europe and the euphoria that his presence unleashed.

49. To prevail, the coach must have good knowledge and inspire confidence. He cannot become an executioner, that mistake usually pays dearly because great teams, like great companies, are built with unity and mutual respect, not with a whip.

About how to lead teams.

50. The best Argentine player after Maradona was Juan Román Riquelme.

A controversial opinion, since Riquelme failed to succeed in Europe.

51. Cubillas is my successor.

About the Peruvian soccer player, who never became what Pelé expected.

52. Today football is very defensive, very tactical. The coaches have knowledge of all the teams. The players know the teams. There is no longer a single tactic, now everyone attacks and everyone defends. When the ball is lost, everyone goes to get it back. There is no more 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. They all play the same. The difference is when you have one or two players with individual ability.

The difference is made by the player (or players) with some outstanding gift.

53. Some people think that the fourth official should not have the authority to control the coaches. My personal opinion is that if we give the coach an area, he can do whatever he wants, because some coaches like to talk and shout, and others don’t. I don’t think they should be told to go back and sit on the bench. There is a feeling that they have too much power. Unless he says or does harmful things, the coach should be free to work in his area.

About one of the most controversial rules in football, which concerns the ability of coaches to direct their players.

54. He was very lucky because despite everything wrong that happened in his life, such as drugs, there are people who still offer him employment.

Again talking about Diego Armando Maradona.

55. I was born for football like Beethoven was for music.

In this sentence, Pelé tells us about his magical gift for football.

56. Sports are something that greatly inspires young people.

It is true: many young people have soccer players or other athletes as references.

57. I am constantly asked about players. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one, two or three star squads.

About the importance of competing as a team.

58. I could mention some names, but what has happened in the last 10 to 15 years, I think Messi is the most consistent player of all those years, without a doubt.

His opinion of Messi improved over the years.

59. Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and, above all, the love for what you are doing or learning to do.

A maxim for success that we should all apply.

60. My father used to say: ‘Listen. God gave you the gift of being able to play soccer. If you take care of your health, if you are in good shape all the time, with the gift that God gave you, no one will stop you but you must be prepared.’

A wise advice from his father that Pelé followed faithfully.

61. When a boy scores a lot of goals, many people think: “He is a great player,” because a goal is a very important goal, but a great player is one who can do everything on the field. He can encourage his colleagues, give them confidence to move forward. He is someone who, when a team doesn’t do well, becomes one of the leaders.

About the qualities of a great player.

62. Cristiano Ronaldo is a great scorer… but Messi is the best.

Finally, Pelé recognized the greatness of “The Flea.”

63. I already said it, Maradona loves me. I went to the opening of his (television) show, to help him at an event to raise money. I like him, I think he loves me. As for who was better, I still think he has to learn to head well and hit it with his right leg.

Another of his famous opinions about Maradona, at a time when the relationship was cordial.

64. Then, I saw my father crying. I didn’t understand why he cried, because I had always been told that men don’t cry. I told him: ‘Dad, don’t cry. I will win the World Cup for you, don’t cry.’

A consolation that became reality after a few years.

65. God gave me football and only He can take it away from me.

One of those most religious Pelé phrases.

66. I am a calm, calm man. I have a lot of patience and that’s why I can withstand the hits that hit me on the court or the bullying that supporters give me when they congratulate me. I like to make friends, I don’t collect enemies.

About his calm and kind personality.

67. Politicians have caused us to always suffer misery in Brazil.

A criticism of the establishment of the American country.

68. I don’t want people to speak well of me when I die.

His legacy as an individual is indifferent to him.

69. If I played football today, I would do it for Barcelona.

I would want to play alongside Leo Messi, probably.

70. Technically, Neymar is the best player in the world.

About the Brazilian star, who played in the ranks of Barcelona and later signed for Paris Saint Germain.