The 70 best famous quotes of Pelé

We review the best famous quotes and statements of 'O Rei', a world soccer star.

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

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

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Pelé's Famous Phrases

To learn more about the milestones of this legendary footballer, we have decided to compile the best quotes of Peléas 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. It's all about practice.

Training is the habit that makes great soccer players with heart.

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.

4. If you do not educate people, it is easy to manipulate them.

A philosophical reflection of "O Rei".

5. You must respect people and work hard to be in shape. I used to train very hard. When other players went to the beach after training, I was hitting the ball.

On his work ethic.

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

Three universal icons, each in their own field.

7. Pelé does not die. Pelé will never die. Pelé will go on forever.

Undoubtedly, the memory of this mythical player will not be erased from the collective memory.

8. A penalty is a cowardly way to score.

Pelé didn't want to be made easy.

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

About Brazilian fans and their devotion to the beautiful game.

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

Although it is hard to believe, Pelé himself said this phrase, making it clear who was, in his opinion, the best soccer player in history.

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

A structured family was key to Edson's sporting development.

12. If I die one day, I will be 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.

On soccer and his personal legacy.

13. Enthusiasm is everything. It must be tense and vibrant like a guitar string.

Without attitude, victories and titles don't 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, she did not follow.

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

About his position on the existence of God.

16. The rules of soccer 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 business.

18. The World Cup is a very important way to measure good players. It is a test 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's easy to run away, because you know what they are going to do. But when the player is tough, but smart, it is much more difficult.

That is why a good defender must also be intelligent and organized.

20. I represent Brazil all over the world. Wherever I go, I have to do my best not to disappoint the Brazilian people.

On his responsibility to his people.

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

His comedic gifts were always excellent.

22. God gave me the gift of playing soccer, and the rest I got because I took care of myself and prepared myself.

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

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

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

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

Youth is sometimes accompanied by a certain amount of madness.

25. I was a coward when I played. I only cared about the evolution of my career.

Acknowledging 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. I cheered the crowd. But today Brazil has lost that will to have the ball and dominate the opponent.

On the change in the concept of Brazilian soccer.

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

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

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

About your past feelings.

30. I will never be a soccer 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 soccer and his charisma: unique.

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

A sharp criticism of the Argentine star's drug addiction.

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

About the goal "the hand of God", which was scored but should have been disallowed.

34. No individual can win a match by himself.

The team is always needed to win championships.

35. There is no worse punishment than being born a ball and kicked by an Englishman at Wembley.

On the unrefined technique of many British players.

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

The mentality comes from oneself.

37. I will never be a soccer 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 Socrates, Tostao, Rivelino, Zico and Romario, as well as other Brazilian players. Then he would have to ask permission from Di Stefano and Moreno, two great Argentinians who were better than him.

Another poisoned dart for Maradona.

39. The Argentines are making a mistake, they shouldn't spend time assigning me a rival like Di Stéfano or Maradona; they should spend time realizing that I'm better than both of them put together.

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

40. It's blasphemous, and it's wrong for me to say it, but in the polls I'm more popular than Jesus Christ. It makes me laugh, I'm a Catholic and I know what Jesus and his values mean.

About his worldwide fame.

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 is not arrogance, it is that I do not admit that it is said that there is a better soccer player than me until they do not find one that has surpassed my thousand goals, then we would already speak.

Certainly, that number is unattainable for any mortal.

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

Leadership starts with good habits, and Maradona is not an example of that.

44. I had a great time at that time 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, performers, you will see a show. If not, it is not worth watching on TV or going to the stadium.

He makes his conception of soccer very clear.

46. All the players of all the teams play the same, the difference comes when one has two or three players who have individual capacities. There, my friend, you touch the glory.

Creativity is not a gift possessed by many players.

47. Neymar is ready to be Brazil's leader.

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 huge physique of the Russians.

About one of their games in Europe and the euphoria that his presence sparked.

49. To impose himself, 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.

On how to lead teams.

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

A controversial opinion, since Riquelme did not succeed in Europe.

51. Cubillas is my successor.

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

52. Soccer today is very defensive, very tactical. Coaches have knowledge of all the teams. The players know the teams. There is no longer just one 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. Everyone plays 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 an 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 yell, and others do not. I don't think they should be told to go to the back and sit on the bench. There is a feeling that they have too much power. Unless he says or does damaging things, the coach should be free to work in his area.

On one of the most controversial rules in soccer, which concerns the ability of coaches to manage their players.

54. He was very lucky because despite all the wrong things that happened in his life, such as drugs, there are people who still offer him a job.

Again talking about Diego Armando Maradona.

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

In this sentence, Pelé talks about his magic gift for soccer.

56. Sport is something that inspires young people a lot.

It's true: many young people look up to soccer players or other athletes.

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

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 has improved over the years.

59. Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, study, sacrifice and, above all, 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 God gave you no one will stop you but you must be prepared'.

Wise advice from his father that Pelé faithfully followed.

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 keep going. He is someone who, when a team is not doing well, becomes one of the leaders.

On the qualities of a great player.

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

Finally, Pelé recognized the greatness of "La Pulga".

63. I already said it, Maradona loves me. I went to the inauguration of his [TV] program, to help him in 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 with his right foot.

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 was crying, 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 a reality after a few years.

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

One of Pelé's most religious phrases.

66. I am a quiet, calm man. I have a lot of patience and that's why I can take the blows that people hit me on the court or the blows that the 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 always caused us to suffer misery in Brazil.

A criticism to the establishment of the American country.

68. I am not looking for people to speak well of me when I die.

His legacy as an individual is indifferent to him.

69. If I were to play soccer today, I would play 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 for Barcelona and later signed for Paris Saint-Germain.