Pele: My memories of di 'King of Football'

Brazilian football legend Pele arguably di greatest player ever, don die at di age of 82.

E dey credited to don score world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals for 92 matches for im kontri.

E be di only player to win di World Cup three times, e lift di trophy for 1958, 1962 and 1970, dem name Pele Fifa Player of di Century for 2000.

E bin dey suffer from kidney and prostate problems in recent years.

My memories of di 'King of Football'

Di last time I see Pele face-to-face e bin dey behind di counter of one Subway for Central London as e dey try fill salad inside sandwich.

Na for March 2015, and no be like say di Brazilian football legend bin dey broke, na publicity stunt wey Subway do as one of Pele plenti endorsement deals.

By den, Pele don meet me several times already, wey make am gimme big smile afta in spot me for di crowd of tori pipo. I even lucky to get one on one interview with am, but my happiest memory from dat afternoon be say Pele look healthy at di age of 74.

I tell am say, "you fear everyone with dat hospital business, King".

E laugh tell me say, "You forget say na from Tres Coracoes (Three Hearts in Portuguese) dem born me? E dey hard to put pesin for ground wey get three hearts".

'Na like to meet one of di Avengers'

One year earlier, e bin look weak as im show for di football governing joinbodi Fifa award ceremony for Zurich wey cause me like plenty Brazil tori pipo dem bin fear say e no go last.

E comot say Pele don dey suffer kidney problems, wey worse because im don lose one kidney for di 1970s wey im 21 year professional career battering cause.

Everytime we jam like dis, I go spend di next few days, dey wonder wetin just happun. E be like to meet one of di Avengers, one wey always look happy to see you.

For many football fans, especially Brazillians, di man dem born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento na di greatest pesin to kick ball.

Dem suppose name football afta Pele.

E still be di only pesin wey don win three Fifa World Cup as player and na only 17 e be wen Brazil first lift di trophy for 1958.

12 years later, e bin dey wit di Brazil side wey win di title for Mexico wit beta ginger sotay e still dey win polls for di best team wey don gada.

One of di best compliment Pele get from dat competition na from Italy Tarcisio Burgnich, di defender wey mark di Brazilian for di final.

"I tell myself before di game say 'na skin and bones im be liek everybody else'. But I bin dey wrong".

Pele score one and set up two goals for dat game, as Brazil win dia and im third World Cup. Dat goal na one of more than 1,200 goals im score for im career.

Unlikely national treasure

Pele bin leave mark wey pass football and make di late US artist Andy Warhol change im famous quote about how fame dey temporary.

Warhol tok say, "Pele na one of di few wey contradict my theory: Instead of 15 minutes of fame, e go get fifteen centuries".

Pele don already retire international duty as player wen dem born me for 1973 but to grow up for Brazil mean say you no go fit no hear about wetin e don do.

But to add with im help to make Brazil di world most successful football kontri. Pele, black man im be, do sometin wey pass ogbonge, e rise to national treasure for land wey get past of slavery and legacy of segregation till now.

E bin dey and still be di most famous Brazillian. Everiwia I go, from New York to Africa, na im dem go fist call wen I tell dem wia I from come.

Pele also get critics. Like pipo wey tink say e suppose bask di military regime wey rule Brazil between 1964 and 1985 wit iron hand and even dey hide under di success of di national team.

Pele no be di only one wey no gree tok among im mates, but na im bin get mouth pass.

For 2021 Netflix documentary, Pele use sorry time say, "footballers for no fit make difference" for di human rights violation wey happun during military rule.

"If I say I no know about am, I go dey lie. But we no sure wetin bin dey happun."

Later, Pele claim sat e refuse to comot international retirement to play for di 1974 World Cup to protest di military.

Punditry, politics and endorsements

Pele also no actively chook mouth for formal racism fight for Brazil, wen im deyy play or afta im retire.

For 2014, dem bash am afta e be like e normalise racist event for di Brazilian Championship game say e don suffer enough racism to "stop everi game I dey inside".

Pele personal life also get comma, di arrest of im son, Edson for drugs and im refusal to accept Sandra, one daughter dem born for di 1960s afta an affair.

For di Netflix documentary, Pele agree say in get "so many affairs sotay I no get many pikin I get".

Pele retire finally for 1977 afta im pay small for di US failed first attempt for professional football league.

E no enta management and all im do for di game afta na small-small work as TV pundit. When Nrazil win di 1994 Men World Cup and im dey jump up and down with im headset for di press box for Rose Bowl stadium for Los Angeles still dey make me cry.

E also act soap opera and feem like Escape to Victory and serve as Brazil Minister of Sport from 1995-98.

Pele endorse plenti national and international companies, wey make pipo laugh am like wen e endorsee erectile dysfunction for di 2000s.

Pele na who you wan meet for quotes for both national and international media, e n dey bite im tongue even tho im go vex famous colleagues.

Brazil World Cup winning forward Romario once say, "Pele na poet wen im mouth dey shut".

E also dey make off prediction.

Pele for di 1970s sat African team "go win di World Cup before di 21st Century" - African kontri neva make ma reach finals before.

E also tok say Colombia go win di 1994 World Cup afta dem sama Argentina to qualify but dem comot for first round afta dem lose to US.

Pele "kiss of death" don turn joke for Brazilian tori pesin.

'My history for di game gimme right to speak my mind'

E tell me for Berlin for 2006 wen I jam an for luxury hotel with im and im staff and we dey watch England World Cup round of 16 match against Ecuador, say, "I think my history of di game gimme right to tok my mind".

Dat afternoon, e para and hala against everytn and everione wey im say yab am unfairly, including Diego Maradona. E be pure gold for ogbonge tori but e no go comot as e don tell me sat, "You dey here as friend not as tori pesin".

Who I be to go against di King? Buit when France comot Brazil for quaterfinals, Pele gimme im only interview to react to di result.

Since di ogbonge arrival of Lionel Messi, many don dey tempted to claim say Messi don collect im throne as world best pleyer. But di King no gree.

Pele tell me ofr London say, "I fit score headers and kick with both feet, but Messi dey use im left pass. E also need to score a thousand goals".

I wish I get chance to tell Pele one more time in pesin say di Argentine still dey miss three World Cup trophies.

Dat bin dey make di King laugh. And I go miss dat laughter wella.