60 Pele Quotes From The Brazilian Soccer Player

Pele is considered the greatest soccer player ever to walk the planet. Born in Três Corações, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Pele started out playing in the streets with other children from his hometown. But at 16, Pele scored the first goal for Brazil. At 17 years old, he drove his group to triumph in the World Cup, scoring six goals. Pele proceeded to play in three more World Cups, winning two of these. Throughout his career he has played 1,360 games and scored 1,280 goals, an impressive average of nearly one each game!

What Parents Should Know

• Pele is Brazil's top scorer, with 77 goals in 92 appearances.
• Pele started playing at a very young age. However, age is just a number. It is never too late or too early to start anything new.
• Throughout his career, even after retirement, Pele has won multiple individual awards and team awards for his on-field performances, record-breaking achievements, and legacy in the sport.

What To Discuss With Kids

• Pele extensively appeared as one of the finest gamers of all time. Great performances come from those who work hard.
• Parents should discuss that all great performers were once underdogs. They can give their children several real-life examples.
• Even the most gifted players need to put in a lot of effort and preparation to succeed. Nothing comes easy for anyone. Working hard and determination are extremely essential. 

1. "Everything is practice."

2. "Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string."

3. "A penalty is a cowardly way to score."

4. "I don't believe there is such a thing as a 'born' soccer player. Perhaps you are born with certain skills and talents."

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

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

7. "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do."

8. "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."

9. "The first World Cup I remember was in 1950 when I was 9 or 10 years old. My father was a soccer player, and there was a big party, and when Brazil lost to Uruguay, I saw my father crying."

10. "Considerable research on successful soccer players and their developmental history, affirms that a good percentage of them have spent time in isolation, working on soccer skills."

11. "How much soccer training is needed to become a top player? It depends on the efficiency of your training routine."

12. "Another reason why I am always close to the people, because communication is very important. When I stopped to play soccer I continued to... work with UNICEF."

13. "I was barely 14 years old. But let's be fair, I wasn't the only one who did it."

14. "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."

15. "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."

16. "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."

17. "A team is not made up of isolated individuals... Football is a team game. No one plays alone. Success depends on your whole team being a single unit."

18. "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.'"

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

20. "When you control the ball you control the score."

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

22. "I think the kids always look forward to being always the big stars. Not only football, any profession."

23. "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."

24. "There is always someone out there getting better than you by training harder than you."

25. "Great teams are not made up of many well-rounded players."

26. "He was a man in Bauru that all our team visited."

27. "A good player is not who only scores goals but someone who can cheer his team and when the team is not performing well, he can act as a leader."

28. "Great teams are made up of a variety of players, each having their own strengths."

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

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

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

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

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

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

35. "Football is like a religion to me."

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

37. "A lot of people, when a guy scores a lot of goals, think, 'He's a great player' because a goal is very important, but a great player is a player who can do everything on the field."

38. "No individual can win a game by himself."

39. "If you don't give education to people, it is easy to manipulate them."

40. "I played futsal growing up in Baurd. In futsal, you need to think quick and play quick so it's easier for you when you move to normal football."

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

42. "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."

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

44. "I worship the ball, and I treat it like a god."

45. "Everything on earth is a game. A passing thing. We all end up dead. We all end up the same, don't we?" =

46. "If you ever want to be a decent player, you have to be able to use both feet without stopping to think about it."

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

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

49. "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."

50. "The ambition should always be to play an elegant game."

51. "Sometimes I look for the complete player, not just the players who score but those who can pass."

52. "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."

53. "Ronaldo has come through for the past two or three years and is the best in Europe. I think at the moment no doubt Ronaldo is the best player."

54. "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."

55. "Yes, I have a lot of business interests. But I don’t work for just anyone, and I choose the companies very carefully."

56. "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."

57. "I represent Brazil all over the world. Wherever I go I have to do my best, to not disappoint the Brazilian people. And that I’ve done."

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

59. "How much soccer training is it needed to become a top player? It depends on the efficiency of your training routine. Setting long and short-term goals is a must. When planning out a soccer training regime, one must strive for a realistic and consistent program that will diminish specific weaknesses. Broad versatility of soccer skills is the Nirvana of every dedicated trainee."

60. "Sport is something that is very inspirational for young people."

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