Riaan 
UPelé, inkosi yebhola likanobhutshuzwayo yaseBrazil owawina irekhodi leNdebe Yomhlaba emithathu futhi waba ngomunye wabadlali abavelele kwezemidlalo ekhulwini leminyaka elidlule, ushone ngoLwesine. Wayeneminyaka engu-82.
Lo mdlali ophethe izinga “lomdlalo omuhle” welashelwe umdlavuza wamaphaphu kusukela ngo-2021. Isikhungo sezokwelapha abelaliswe kuso esibhedlela inyanga edlule sathi ushone ngenxa yokwehluleka kwezitho eziningi ngenxa yomdlavuza.
“Konke esiyikho sibonga wena,” indodakazi yakhe Kely Nascimento wabhala ku-Instagram. “Sikuthanda ngokungapheli. Lala ngoxolo.”
Umenzeli wakhe, uJoe Fraga, ukuqinisekisile ukushona kwakhe: “Inkosi isidlulile.”
Ebhekwa kabanzi njengomunye wabadlali bebhola abahamba phambili, u-Pelé uchithe cishe amashumi amabili eminyaka ejabulisa abalandeli nezimbangi zakhe ezinhle njengomshayi magoli amaningi kulo mdlalo neklabhu yase-Brazil i-Santos neqembu lesizwe lase-Brazil.
Umusa wakhe, i-athletic kanye ne-mesmerizing inyakazisa abadlali nabalandeli abaguquguqukayo. Uhlele isitayela esisheshayo, esithambile esiguqule ezemidlalo — ubuciko obufana ne-samba obenziwe samuntu ubuhle bezwe lakhe enkundleni.
Wathwala iBrazil wayiyisa endaweni ephakeme yebhola likanobhutshuzwayo futhi waba inxusa lomhlaba wonke lomdlalo wakhe ohambweni olwaqala emigwaqweni yesifunda saseSao Paulo, lapho ayekhahlela khona isokisi eligcwele amaphephandaba noma amanikiniki.
Engxoxweni emayelana nabadlali abakhulu bebhola likanobhutshuzwayo, nguDiego Maradona ongasekho, Lionel Messi kanye noCristiano Ronaldo okukhulunywa ngabo kanye noPelé.
Imithombo ehlukene, ebala amaqoqo ahlukene emidlalo, ibala ingqikithi yamagoli kaPelé phakathi kwama-650 (imidlalo yeligi) kanye ne-1,281 (yonke imidlalo emikhulu, eminye ngokumelene nomqhudelwano wezinga eliphansi.)
Lo mdlali owayezobizwa nge-“The King” wethulwa emhlabeni eneminyaka engu-17 eNdebeni yoMhlaba eyayiseSweden ngo-1958, nowayengumdlali omncane kunabo bonke abake bakhona kulo mqhudelwano. Ukhishwe enkundleni esemahlombe ozakwabo ngemuva kokushaya amagoli amabili ngesikhathi iBrazil inqoba ngo 5-2 kowamanqamu.
Ukulimala kwamvimbela emidlalweni emibili kuphela ngesikhathi iBrazil igcina isicoco somhlaba ngo-1962, kodwa uPelé wayewuphawu lokunqoba kwezwe lakhe kwiNdebe Yomhlaba ngo-1970 eMexico. Ushaye igoli kowamanqamu futhi wabeka uCarlos Alberto edlula ngokunganaki igoli lokugcina benqoba i-Italy ngo 4-1.
Isithombe sika-Pelé egqoke ijezi laseBrazil elikhanyayo, eliphuzi, elinesigxivizo esingu-No. 10 ngemuva, sisekhona nabalandeli bebhola yonke indawo. Njengoba kwenza umgubho wegoli lakhe lophawu lwentengiso — ukweqa ngesibhakela sangakwesokudla phezulu ngaphezu kwekhanda lakhe.
Udumo lukaPelé lwaba kangangokuthi ngo-1967 amaqembu empi yombango eNigeria avuma ukuthi kumiswe ukudubulana ukuze akwazi ukudlala umdlalo wokubukisa ezweni. Wahlonishwa yiNdlovukazi yaseBrithani u-Elizabeth II ngo-1997. Ngesikhathi evakashele eWashington eyosiza ekukhuliseni umdlalo eNyakatho Melika, ngumongameli wase-US owakhipha isandla sakhe kuqala.
“Igama lami nginguRonald Reagan, ngingumongameli wase-United States of America,” umninikhaya etshela isivakashi sakhe. “Kodwa asikho isidingo sokuthi uzethule ngoba wonke umuntu uyazi ukuthi uPelé ungubani.”
U-Pelé wayeyiqhawe lesizwe lase-Brazil lokuqala lesimanje eliMnyama kodwa wayengavamile ukukhuluma ngobandlululo ezweni lapho abacebile nabanamandla bevame ukuvela kwabamhlophe abambalwa.
Abalandeli abaphikisayo bagcone u-Pelé ngamaculo ezinkawu ekhaya nasemhlabeni wonke.
“Wathi akasoze adlala uma kufanele ayeke njalo lapho ezwa lawo maculo,” kusho u-Angelica Basthi, omunye wababhali bokuphila kukaPelé. “Ungukhiye wokuziqhenya kwabantu abaMnyama ngeBrazil, kodwa akakaze afune ukuba umhlonishwa.”
Impilo kaPelé ngemva kwebhola yezinyawo yathatha izinhlobo eziningi. Wayengusopolitiki — UNgqongqoshe Ongajwayelekile Wezemidlalo waseBrazil — usomabhizinisi ocebile, futhi eyinxusa le-UNESCO kanye neNhlangano Yezizwe Ezihlangene.
Ubeneqhaza emafilimini, emidlalweni ewuchungechunge waze waqamba izingoma nama-CD aqoshiwe omculo odumile waseBrazil.
Njengoba impilo yakhe yayiwohloka, ukuhamba nokubukeka kwakhe kwancipha. Ubevame ukubonakala esesihlalweni esinamasondo eminyakeni yakhe yokugcina futhi akazange alubhade emcimbini wokwembula isifanekiso sakhe emele iqembu laseBrazil leNdebe Yomhlaba ka-1970. U-Pelé uchithe usuku lwakhe lokuzalwa lwama-80 eyedwa namalungu omndeni ambalwa ekhaya lasebhishi.
Wazalelwa u-Edson Arantes do Nascimento, edolobheni elincane laseTres Coracoes maphakathi nesifunda saseMinas Gerais ngomhla zingama-23 kuMfumfu 1940, uPelé wakhula ecwebezela izicathulo ukuze athenge igiya lakhe lebhola lezinyawo.
Ithalente likaPelé ladonsa amehlo lapho eseneminyaka engu-11, futhi umdlali wasendaweni okhokhelwayo wamletha emaqenjini entsha yaseSantos. Akuzange kuthathe isikhathi eside ukuthi angene eqenjini elikhulu.
Naphezu kobusha bakhe kanye nohlaka lwama-5-foot-8, uthole amaphuzu ngokumelene namadoda akhulile ngokukhululeka okufanayo akubonise kubangane bakhe ekhaya. Wadlala ikilabhu yaseBrazil eneminyaka engu-16 ngo-1956, futhi iklabhu yasheshe yaqashelwa emhlabeni wonke.
Igama elithi Pelé livela kuye elibiza kabi igama lomdlali obizwa ngokuthi u-Bilé.
Waya kuNdebe Yomhlaba ka-1958 njengendawo yokulondoloza imvelo kodwa waba ngumdlali obalulekile weqembu lezwe lakhe elidla ubhedu. Igoli lakhe lokuqala, lapho aphephetha khona ibhola phezu kwekhanda lomdlali wasemuva futhi wagijima eduze kwakhe ukuze alishayele ekhaya, livotelwe njengelinye lahamba phambili emlandweni weNdebe yoMhlaba.
INdebe Yomhlaba ka-1966 e-England — eyanqotshwa abasubathi — yayibuhlungu kuPelé, ngaleso sikhathi owayesethathwa njengomdlali ovelele emhlabeni. IBrazil yakhishwa esigabeni samaqoqo kwathi uPelé, ecasukile ukuphathwa kabi, wafunga ukuthi kwakuyiNdebe yoMhlaba yakhe yokugcina.
Washintsha umqondo futhi wavuselelwa eNdebeni Yomhlaba ka-1970. Emdlalweni ne-England, ushaye ibhola ngekhanda ethola amaphuzu athile, kodwa unozinti omkhulu uGordon Banks wapheqela ibhola phezu kwepali ngendlela emangazayo. U-Pelé ufanise ukulondoloza — okungenye ehamba phambili emlandweni weNdebe Yomhlaba — “nenhlanzi ekhuphuka impophoma.” Kamuva, washaya igoli lokuvula kowamanqamu bebhekene ne-Italy, umdlalo wakhe wokugcina weNdebe yoMhlaba.
Sekukonke, uPelé udlale imidlalo engu-114 neBrazil, washaya irekhodi lamagoli angama-95, okuhlanganisa nangu-77 emidlalweni esemthethweni.
Ukugijima kwakhe neSantos kwadonsa iminyaka engaphezu kwamashumi amathathu kwaze kwaba yilapho esethatha umhlalaphansi ngemuva kwesizini ka-1972. Amaqembu acebile aseYurophu azamile ukumsayinisa, kodwa uhulumeni waseBrazil wangenelela ukuze angadayiswa, wamemezela ukuthi uyigugu lesizwe.
Enkundleni, amandla kaPelé, ukubona kanye nokucabanga kwakhe kuqhubekisele phambili iqembu lesizwe lase-Brazil elinesiphiwo ngesitayela sokudlala esisheshayo, esithambile esibonisa ukuthi “O Jogo Bonito” — isiPutukezi esisho “Umdlalo Omuhle.” I-autobiography yakhe yango-1977, “Impilo Yami Nomdlalo Omuhle,” yenza lesi sisho saba yingxenye yesichazamazwi sebhola likanobhutshuzwayo.
Ngo-1975, wajoyina iNew York Cosmos yeNorth American Soccer League. Nakuba eneminyaka engu-34 futhi edlula isikhathi sakhe sokuqala, u-Pelé wanikeza ibhola iphrofayili ephakeme eNyakatho Melika. Uhole iCosmos yanqoba isicoco seligi ngo-1977 washaya amagoli angu-64 kumasizini amathathu.
U-Pelé waphetha umsebenzi wakhe ngo-1 Okthoba 1977, embukisweni phakathi kwe-Cosmos ne-Santos phambi kwesixuku eNew Jersey sabantu abangaba ngu-77,000. Udlale uhhafu womdlalo nekilabhu ngayinye. Phakathi kwezicukuthwane ezazikhona mhlawumbe kwakunguye yedwa omunye umsubathi owaziwayo emhlabeni wonke – u-Muhammad Ali.
U-Pelé wayezokhuthazelela izikhathi ezinzima ekuphileni kwakhe siqu, ikakhulukazi lapho indodana yakhe u-Edinho iboshwa ngamacala ahlobene nezidakamizwa. UPelé wayenamadodakazi amabili angashadile kanye nezingane ezinhlanu emishadweni yakhe yokuqala emibili, kuRomeri dos Reis Cholbi no-Assiria Seixas Lemos. Kamuva washada nosomabhizinisi uMarcia Cibele Aoki.
