O REI ETERNO [ESP/ENG]

Ha partido ese hombre al que “solo le faltó” jugar en la Luna”, el más grande símbolo del Jogo Bonito brasilero, aquel niño que cambió los Tres Corazones de su pueblo natal por las 3 estrellas más brillantes del firmamento brasileño; no jugó en la Luna, pero alcanzó las estrellas mediante un futbol que faltaba al respeto a la Ley de la Gravedad. Potencia incansable y sutileza brillante; “O Rei” podía romper las redes con un fortísimo remate a diestra o siniestra y, con esas mismas piernas que catapultaron misiles, era capaz de sembrar rivales con sutiles toques e ingeniosos regates.

Dicen, quienes le conocieron, que Pelé era de carne y hueso, que era humano aunque cueste creerlo, aunque a muchos su talento y proyección nos parezcan sacados de una leyenda o de la ciencia ficción. Quizá aquel llanto de su padre y su posterior promesa al mismo, fueran los detonantes para que el pequeño Edson decidiera salir a demostrarle al Mundo que, por humano que fuera, era distinto. Se vistió de blanco, el blancoo de Santos, el equipo de su vida, el que le catapultó al sueño de vestir de verdeamarelha para conquistar el Mundo entero con tan solo 17 años y, a posteriori, brindar a su país las primeras 3 Copas Mundiales de las 5 que posee.

The man who "only had to play on the moon", the greatest symbol of Brazilian Jogo Bonito, the boy who exchanged the Three Hearts of his hometown for the three brightest stars in the Brazilian firmament, has departed; he did not play on the moon, but he reached the stars with a football that disrespected the Law of Gravity. Tireless power and brilliant subtlety; "O Rei" could break the net with a powerful shot to the right or left and, with those same legs that catapulted missiles, he was capable of seeding opponents with subtle touches and ingenious dribbles.

Those who knew him say that Pelé was flesh and blood, that he was human even if it is hard to believe, even if to many his talent and projection seem like something out of a legend or science fiction. Perhaps that cry from his father and his subsequent promise to him were the triggers for little Edson to decide to go out and show the world that, as human as he was, he was different. He dressed in white, the white of Santos, the team of his life, the one that catapulted him to the dream of wearing the verdeamarelha to conquer the whole world at only 17 years of age and, later, to bring his country the first 3 World Cups of the 5 that he owns.

Sus risas y también sus lágrimas sirvieron de prueba para dejar en claro que el hombre al que veíamos ejecutando lo imposible era humano, como todos, aunque sus proezas dentro del campo lo separasen del resto. Dos Copas Libertadores y dos Intercontinentales con Santos, ocho goles marcados en un mismo partido y más de mil goles en su carrera son hazañas al alcance de pocos, pero volveremos a las Copas del Mundo porque si idilio con el trofeo más lindo de todos no tiene parangón; en México ‘70 ya con dos Mundiales bajó el brazo hizo gala de esa velocidad física y mental suya en múltiples ocasiones para dejar claro que era muy superior al resto en la que sería la tercera y última Copa de su carrera.

En ese Mundial de México ‘70, Pelé hizo historia en la que, para muchos, ha sido la mejor selección brasileña de todos los tiempos y en las calles de Guadalajara se podían ver negocios con la chapa echada y letreros que rezaban: “Hoy no abrimos, nos fuimos a ver jugar a Pelé”; eso y mucho más provocaba “O Rei” en sus fieles súbditos del balón.

His laughter and also his tears served as proof that the man we saw executing the impossible was human, like everyone else, even if his exploits on the pitch set him apart from the rest. Two Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups with Santos, eight goals scored in a single match and more than a thousand goals in his career are feats within the reach of few, but we will return to the World Cups because his idyll with the most beautiful trophy of all is unparalleled; in Mexico '70, with two World Cups under his arm, he showed his physical and mental speed on multiple occasions to make it clear that he was far superior to the rest in what would be the third and last Cup of his career.

In that World Cup in Mexico '70, Pelé made history in what, for many, has been the best Brazilian team of all time and in the streets of Guadalajara you could see shops with their signs down and signs that read: "Today we are not open, we went to see Pelé play"; that and much more provoked "O Rei" in his faithful followers of the ball.