The anniversary of the day a boy of only 17 became a football king! In the World Cup final, Pelé scored one of the most beautiful goals in history

In the 1958 World Cup final played in Sweden, the youngster, only 17 years old, gave a performance that made him the king of football. Pelé scored two goals in the final, one of which was one of the most beautiful goals in the history of football’s most prestigious competition.

He is still considered the king of football today. The best footballer of the twentieth century, who infatuated the entire football world and brought football to the limelight among all sports.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento grew up in poor Brazilian circumstances, so it is no wonder that his best friend was the soccer ball. In his youth, he couldn’t even afford soccer cleats and played with socks stuffed with newspapers.

But perhaps it was this and futsal, which he says helped him think faster with the ball on his foot than his opponents, that made him a footballer whose footballing exploits are watched by even the youngest generations of fans.

At the age of 15, he started playing for the famous Santos and in his first season became the top scorer in Brazil’s top competition. Just ten months after signing a professional contract, he was called up to Brazil’s all-star squad.

Already in his first match for the Seleção he scored his first goal in the net of their biggest rivals from Argentina. No wonder he was also called up for the 1958 World Cup held in Sweden.

Shortly before the tournament, he struggled with a knee injury, but eventually flew to the final tournament. Brazil progressed from the preliminary group without a single loss, but the young footballer’s star did not shine fully until the knockout stages.

In the quarter-finals, he sunk Wales with the only goal of the match, and in the semi-finals he even downed France with a hat-trick. Although the final against the Swedes was in jeopardy due to the aforementioned knee problems, the Brazil national team doctors did a great job and Pelé became the youngest player in history to play in a World Cup final.

Although the Seleção were trailing from the 4th minute, the Brazilians managed to turn the game around by half-time. In the second act, it was Pelé’s moment. Ten minutes after the change of sides, he worked a centre heading into the penalty area on his chest, arced over a Swedish defender and sent the ball into the net.

To this day, his goal is one of the most beautiful goals in football history. In injury time, he then set up the action with a beautiful penalty, at the end of which he found himself and crowned the final 5:2 with a header.

At just seventeen years old, he became the youngest player ever to win the World Cup. After the tournament, he was nicknamed “O Rei” (translated as “The King”). He went on to win the World Cup in 1962 and 1970, becoming the greatest football personality in history.

Source: Wikipedia, Twitter – FC MP