Tag: soccer

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O Rei Pelé has died! King Pelé is dead at 82!

silhouette of a boy playing ball during sunset

At the age of 82, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also known as the immortal Pelé, died.

The opposing team scored the first goal, and Pelé picked up the ball from the net and slowly walked back to the center, encouraging his teammates. He scored five goals that day.

In his autobiography, which I read a few years ago, Pelé reflected on the first time he saw his father cry:

“[I saw my father crying], and I asked him, ‘Why are you crying?’

His father answered: ‘Brazil lost the World Cup.’

Pele replied: ‘I’m going to win one World Cup for you, don’t worry.’”

The book details Pele’s journey from one of the millions of Brazilian kids who entertain themselves through futebol to one who entertained the world through futebol.

In 1950, Brazil hosted the World Cup, and the 200,000 spectators at the Maracanã Stadium expected them to keep the trophy home, but Uruguay was able to triumph in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in soccer history. In the early 50s, Pelé rises from the ashes of a town in São Paulo and walks the national team through three World Cup titles in 1958, 1962, and the remarkable undefeated 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

Pelé is far more than an athletic legend. Pelé is part of Brazil’s political, social, and cultural history. He is the unforgettable face of the very nation and the magnum opus of Brazilian identity.

Criticized, vilified, loved, and admired, Pelé was unmistakably the greatest futebol player ever. This is even evident when people ask Brazilians who the greatest soccer player is. No one begins a sentence stating the obvious, but they begin stating the exception: “Well, after Pelé, X is my favorite.” Pelé cannot even be put in the same category as modern players. Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Maradona all deserve honor and respect, but none of them can claim three world cups, over 1,100 goals in their careers, and the inimitable prestige of being identified as the very essence of the sport.

What is left now–in the absence of his genius presence– is to set the stage for a new era of futebol. Pelé gave the sport its brilliance and popularity. And how poetic that the King of Futebol (Rei do Futebol) died as over five billion people witnessed the ultimate triumph of Argentina’s new king, Lionel Messi. Long live o jogo bonito!

Dorme em Paz, Pelé!

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Worship or Sports?

The contrast seems almost profane, but yet our evangelical culture allows this profane contrast to sound sensical. While sports can be important and should play a role in our lives–I speak as a lover of sports–our priorities must never be confused. Over at Reformation 21 the ever prolific Mark Jones offers some thoughts:

I think it is important, in all things, for our children to learn from their parents that from the time they come out of the womb to the time they leave the home the Lord must come first. Following Christ demands that we even renounce our family if we have to (Lk. 9:57-62; Lk. 14:26); how much more should we renounce sports for Christ’s sake? We are always to seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33).
Giving up worship for sports is not an option for Christians. In fact, to miss worship because of sports is positively wicked. Your children will not likely be converted on the field or on the court or on the diamond. In God’s house, with God’s people, they are in the most important place for their never-dying souls. They are in the place that shapes their living for the week, week after week, year after year, decade after decade.
The most important thing Christians can do in this world is worship God in the corporate assembly of his people on the Lord’s Day. Think about that. We enter into the heavenly places when we worship. We commune with the triune God and his people. Through faith, we receive grace upon grace, and we offer praises to the living God. And would we rob our children of this inestimable blessing for a game?

While I have written about this in my little book The Trinitarian Father and have written about it elsewhere, the conversation seems to be in constant need of being stressed. This is not merely a question of to be or not to be sabbatarian. I know many like myself who would take a clear exception to the Westminster Confession in favor of the continental view who still sees this element as binding. Jones asserts that this compromise is positively wicked and can have a negative affect on the religious education of our own children.

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Americans Catching Up With Soccer-Crazy Rivals

CNN reports:

They came up just short in their knockout-round match with Belgium on Tuesday. But online, Team USA is already a World Cup winner.

FIFA, international soccer’s ruling body, says fans in the United States have been more active on its websites and mobile apps than any other country.

During the past 28 days, 36.7 million U.S. fans have engaged with the World Cup’s online properties, a spokesman for the organization said. That’s 11.2% of the country’s population and has accounted for 23% of the total activity.

FIFA measured actions on its website and Facebook page as well as downloads of its mobile app.

The news was a surprise to folks at the Zurich, Switzerland-based FIFA. Unlike most nations in the world, soccer has been slow to capture the imagination of sports fans in the States, where “football” is played mainly on Saturdays and Sundays and you can use your hands a lot more.l

But as the U.S. men’s team played its way out of a tough opening-round group that included Germany, Portugal and Ghana, U.S. Web users spent a total of 847 years and 143 days engaged with FIFA content.

That’s more than soccer-crazy rivals Brazil, Germany, England and France combined.

Part of all that may be American fans working hard to catch up.

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Book Review: Why Soccer Matters by Pele

I read through this historical gem in a day. I watched Pele’s interview on Jon Stewart and immediately ordered a copy of his latest work. In the interview, Pele reflected on the first time he saw his father cry:

“[I saw my father crying], and I asked him, ‘Why are you crying?’

‘Brazil lost the World Cup.’

‘I’m going to win one World Cup for you, don’t worry.’”

The book details Pele’s journey from one of millions of Brazilian kids who entertain themselves through futebol  a to the one who entertained the world through football. In less than 300 pages–an easy read–Pele lays the groundwork for Brazil’s greatest disappointment in 1950. That year, Brazil hosted the World Cup and everyone expected them to keep the trophy home, but Uruguay was able to triumph in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in soccer history. Pele then walks the reader through Brazil’s three main titles in 1958, 1962, and the remarkable undefeated 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

Why Soccer Matters offers all sorts of wonderful facts about Pele like the origin of his name (pg. 68). It also provides humorous information on Garrincha’s life like his legendary crooked legs (pg. 75), and the introduction of yellow and red cards in 1970 (pg. 158). But Pele is far more than an athletic legend. Pele is part of Brazil’s political history, business history, and the unforgettable face of Brazilian coffee commercials.

Criticized, vilified, loved, admired, Pele is unmistakably the greatest soccer player that has ever lived. When people ask Brazilians who the greatest soccer player is they will begin by saying: “Well, besides Pele, X is my favorite.” Pele cannot even be put on the same category as modern players. Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Maradona all deserve honor and respect, but none of them can claim three world cups and over 1,200 goals in their careers.

Pele’s book is an autobiography, but also an appetizer for the world’s greatest sports’ event, which begins in 31 hours.

  1. the Brazilian way to spell soccer  (back)