Pele Quotes

I've come to accept that the life of a frontrunner is a hard one, that he will suffer more injuries than most men and that many of these injuries will not be accidental.

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

I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint.

Over the years I've learnt to live with two persons in my heart. One is Edson, who has fun with his friends and family; the other is the football player Pele. I didn't want the name. 'Pele' sounds like baby-talk in Portuguese.

People always ask me: 'When is the new Pele going to be born?' Never. My father and mother have closed the factory.

In 1962, my injury wasn't because of violence; I just kicked the ball and it happened. And that was OK because Brazil won; I didn't have any difficulty in accepting that. I still got a medal because I'd played two games.

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

Brazil's always had great players, both at home and abroad, but we need to put all that talent together and mould a team out of it.

I treat everybody the same. You know I love to be with people: the youngsters.

I was really proud that I was named after Thomas Edison and wanted to be called Edson. I thought Pele sounded horrible. It was a rubbish name. Edson sounded so much more serious and important.

The biggest family in the world is football, because football has more associate - and FIFA, for example - has more associates than UNESCO.

We're not great friends, but I admire him. If he thinks he's the best player of the century, that's his problem.

It was with a homosexual, I was barely 14 years old. But let's be fair, I wasn't the only one who did it. He was a man in Bauru that all our team visited.

I think that France, Germany, Spain, Holland and England will join Brazil in the semi-finals.

Always when I come to the field, I try to do my best for other people.

A team is not made up of isolated individuals. Always stay in the game. Don't be passive. Football is a team game. No one plays alone. Success depends on your whole team being a single unit.

Football is the only sport where you put people together, it doesn't matter if you are rich, or poor, or black, or white. It is one nation. This is the beauty of football.

I have to trust something that gives me power; I have to believe in something, but in my career I have a lot of moments I cannot explain with God.

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

I want to do my best to make the people happy. I play with my heart for the sport.

I love people. I wanted to be with the people. I wanted to give something back what I get from football, because God gave everything to me.

Sport is something that is very inspirational for young people.

When you control the ball you control the score

Yes, Ronaldinho is bigger than me. Exactly 4 centimeters.

I played futsal growing up in Baurd. In futsal you need to think quick and play quick so its easier for you when you move to normal football.

Love is more important than what we can take ... Please say with me three times-Love! Love! Love!

I played for Santos at 16, and we had an excellent team, so it helped a lot. And then I played for Brazil at the Maracana against Argentina. So I get more experience. This was one year before the World Cup, and it made a lot of difference.

The bicycle kick is not easy to do.

When I was minister of sport in Brazil, I tried to bring in a law that would make the chairmen of clubs reveal their accounts like other businesses. It was turned down, but I think it is an important story that will make a good film.

I always think that I would have become an actor if I hadn't been a soccer player.

Success isn't determined by how many times you win, but by how you play the week after you lose.

The World Cup is a very complicated tournament - six games, seven if you make it to the final - and maybe if you lose one game you're out, even if you're the best.

Football is like a religion to me. I worship the ball, and I treat it like a god. Too many players think of a football as something to kick. They should be taught to caress it and to treat it like a precious gem.

When football stars disappear, so do the teams, and that is a very curious phenomenon. It is like in the theatre, in a play, where there is a great star. If the star is not well, the whole cast suffers.

No doubt, I am earning more money with my endorsements than I ever earned playing soccer.

The head talks to the heart and the heart talks to the feet.

Edson is the person that supports Pele. Edson is the base. Pele just comes and adds the face.

Lionel Messi is a wonderful player. Very skillful. Highly intelligent. He is not good in the air.

When you are young, you do a lot of stupid things.

Football is the best, is the biggest sport in the world.

Everyone talks about the forwards, the players when they are scoring goals. But sometimes I look for the complete player not just the players who score but those who can pass.

I think I've always had the shots. But in the past, I've suffered too many mental lapses. Now, I'm starting to get away from that and my mental discipline and commitment to the game are much better. I think I'm really taking a good look at the big picture. That's the difference between being around for the final or watching the final from my sofa at home.

When I was playing, they said soccer was a man's world and women should remain on the sidelines, all I can say is I'm glad I never had to go up against Mia Hamm

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

Everybody knows my life. I won a lot of tournaments and scored more than 1,000 goals, won three World Cups but I could not play in Olympic Games.

George Best was the greatest player in the world.

I think the kids always they look forward to be always the big stars. Not only football, any profession. They want to be the best, singer, they want to be the best political, only the stars. But I think sometime the life give you opportunity, and long to be a big star, but you don't need to be a big star, you need to be beautiful, excellent man. Human being. This is the first.

Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pele. I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man.

When I retired, at that time I had a lot of proposals to play in Europe, England, Italy, Spain, Mexico. But I said no, after 18 years I want to rest, because I want to retire.

Another reason why I am always close to the people, because the communication is very important. When I stopped to play soccer I continued to ... I continued to work with UNICEF. I did a lot of work with UNESCO. We did a lot of charity programme and games.

If I pass away one day, I am happy because I tried to do my best. My sport allowed me to do so much because it's the biggest sport in the world.

I sometimes lie awake at night and wonder why I am still so popular and, to be honest, I don't know.

Enthusiasm is everything. It must ...

His left foot is fantastic. It's like Mozart. God gave Freddy the gift to play soccer. If he is prepared mentally and physically, nobody will stop him.
(on Freddy Adu)

A penalty is a cowardly way to score.

Brazil eats, sleeps and drinks football. It lives football!

Most important is be a good man.

I always had a philosophy which I got from my father. He used to say, 'Listen. God gave to you the gift to play football. This is your gift from God. If you take care of your health, if you are in good shape all the time, with your gift from God no one will stop you, but you must be prepared.'

The World Cup is a very important way to measure the good players, and the great ones. It is a test of a great player.

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

You must respect people and work hard to be in shape. And I used to train very hard. When the others players went to the beach after training, I was there kicking the ball.

Brazil, always they buy from the United States. The first who was sell to the United States was football.

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

The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.

Brazil is crazy about football. People, they wait for this moment, but this doesn't mean we are going to win the championship. That is the problem.

The bicycle kick is not easy to do. I scored 1,283 goals, and only two or three were bicycle kicks.

The ambition should always be to play an elegant game.