The Revelations: Top 5 Things Pele from Brazil Does Not Want You to Know

For those who don’t know, the Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. It is also known as the Book of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine or the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Let me cross to the Caribbean in Jamaica where Bob Marley once said “if you know your history then you would know where you're coming from’’ but to me “’if you don’t know your history, certainly you don’t know where you are coming from and where you’re going.

Pele is an Alpha and the Omega of the world football but they are some distorted historical information about his success. Let’s look at 5 things Pele doesn’t want you to know.

Pele did score 1,283 goals, but 526 goals came in unofficial friendlies and tour games. He even counted games he played for the Sixth Coast Guard in the military competition. He officially scored 757 goals in 812 games. As great as Pele’s goal scoring ratio was, it pales in comparison to Fernando Peyroteo.

Of course, Pele probably would dismiss Peyroteo’s achievements, just like I’m about to dismiss some of the Brazilian’s goals. Looking through Emilio Castaño’s statistical analysis of Pele’s goal-scoring feats, you can’t help but notice irregularities.

Scoreline		Pele’s goals
Santos 11-0 Botafogo Ribeirão Preto		8
Santos 11-1 Maringá		5
Santos 10-3 Nitro-Química		5
Santos 10-0 Nacional		5
Santos 10-1 Royal Neerschot		5
Santos 10-2 Guarani		5
Santos 10-1 Juventus		5

The eight goals Pele scored against Botafogo didn’t come against the Botafogo.It came against a side bearing the same name and whose only achievement was producing the late great Sócrates.

It’s not the Uruguayan Nacional but some state side in São Paulo. The same applies to Juventus—not the European one, but another irrelevant state side. Using a modern-day example, it’s like Mamelodi Sundowns beating up on Powerlines 24-0 in a separate Nedbank Cup.

A real gauge of Pele’s goal-scoring ability was his international record. He never scored four goals or more in a game and his 77 goals in 92 games is mortal, as opposed to his mythical 1,283 goals.

2. A Reality Check

Pele needs a reality check regarding his FIFA World Cup achievements.

Most World Cup All-Star appearances		Djalma Santos and Franz Beckenbauer, 3
Most World Cup goals		Ronaldo, 15
Most World Cup goals in one final		Geoff Hurst, 3
Most World Cup goals in one tournament		Just Fontaine, 13
Most World Cup goals in one game		Oleg Salenko, 5
Most World Cup games		Lothar Matthäus, 25
Most World Cup games won		Cafu, 16
Most World Cup tournaments		Antonio Carbajal and Lothar Matthäus, 5

Where's Pele?

3. Pele Was Outperformed in Every Single World Cup

Pele played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments but was outperformed in every single one of them. For a man that boasts about his goal-scoring prowess, I find it amusing that he never mentions himself as a Silver Boot winner.

Year		Golden Boot Winner, goals		Pele's goals
1958		Just Fontaine, 13		6
1962		Six players tied, 4		1
1966		Eusébio, 9		1
1970		Gerd Müller, 10		4

To be fair, Pele was injured during the 1962 and 1966 World Cup. When he was fully fit for the 1958 and 1970 World Cup, he wasn't the top goal scorer.  In fact, he wasn't even Brazil's top scorer during the 1970 World Cup. That accolade went to Jairzinho with seven goals.

4. Pele Won Two FIFA World Cups, Not Three

Here's Pele laying down the gauntlet to Lionel Messi:

People always ask me: "When is the new Pele going to be born?" Never. My father and mother have closed the factory. When Messi's scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it.

Messi needs to reach 758 goals instead of 1,284 and needs to win two FIFA World Cups instead of three. Pele was a member of three World Cup-winning teams, but he sat out the large majority of the 1962 World Cup. It was Garrincha who singlehandedly won the World Cup for Brazil, not Pele.

5. Pele Played with Historic Teammates

When Pele compiled his 125 greatest living footballers list, he didn't include many of his teammates.  Regarding the teammates that made the cut: There are two of the greatest right-backs ever in Carlos Alberto and Djalma Santos.

Then there is one of the greatest left-backs ever in Nílton Santos. Also a marvelous midfielder in Rivelino.  Here are Pele's teammates who were ineligible for his list: Garrincha (inspired Brazil to win the 1962 FIFA World Cup), Vavá (scored three goals in two World Cup finals) and Didi (1958 World Cup Golden Ball winner).

Pele shockingly omitted teammates: Gerson, Jairzinho, Gilmar, Tostao, Zito, Bellini and Zagallo. I read into the omissions as Pele's way of downplaying his teammate's role in his success. I would have liked to see Pele symbolically include Santos strike partner Coutinho on the list as a way of saying thank you. After all, they did supposedly combine for over 1,000 goals.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi dedicated his FIFA Ballon d’Or to Xavi: "I want to share this with my friend, he deserves it."Has anyone ever wondered were Pele was when Garrincha's life was spiraling out of control? Never forget that Pele played with historic teammates who made him into the living legend he is.  They were that good that they didn't even need Pele for the 1962 World Cup.

By Owen Mundalamo

Football food for Thought

*The article was informed by empirical evidence gathered from various literature reviews about Pele*