Zitat des Tages von Pele:
Lionel Messi is a wonderful player. Very skillful. Highly intelligent. He is not good in the air.
I don't think I'm a very good businessman. I act too much with my heart.
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.
Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.
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.
When you are young, you do a lot of stupid things.
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.
A penalty is a cowardly way to score.
The bicycle kick is not easy to do.
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'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.
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.'
Edson is the person that supports Pele. Edson is the base. Pele just comes and adds the face.
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.
Everything is practice.
I sometimes lie awake at night and wonder why I am still so popular and, to be honest, I don't know.
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.
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.
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.
Of course, my father was a soccer player. He used to play very good. Then, when I was young, eight or nine years old, ten years old, I just want to be like my father.
If you don't give education to people, it is easy to manipulate them.
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.
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.
