From: ceby313@chpc.utexas.edu (Andre Nogueira)
Subject: One of Pele's most beautifull goals.
Keywords: Juggled the ball over 50 yards and 4 opponents.
Organization: The University of Texas System CHPC
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 05:25:43 GMT


A description of one of the most beautiful goals of Pele' follows.

From the book:  Pele'
                Francois Thebaud
		New York: Harper & Row, Publishers
		Translated from the French by Leo Weistein.

Originally published in France under the title  Pele'.
-----
(...)
Chapter 6 - The Masterpieces      

In the museum at Ipiranga in south central Parana, a gigantic blow-up
33 feet wide shows Pele' in the white jersey of Santos heading the ball  
into an empty goal as four players in dark shirts look on in consternation.
One of them, the goalkeeper, is on the ground, and the position of his 
body forces him to turn his head to comtemplate the image of his defeat.

This photo captures what Pele' long considered his most beautiful goal,
an opinion shared by those who witnessed this scene and then decided
to immortalize it in this monumental form.

The scene was the small stadium of Juventus, one of those poor professional
clubs that live in the shadow of the famous teams of the Paulista League
and limit their ambitions to giving them a rough time when playing at home.


On August 2, 1959, the game against Santos in the small arena of the "Rua
Javari" had attracted an excited crowd eager to watch two players who had
been crowned world champions a year before in Stockholm, and determined
to show them no indulgence.

Right from kickoff the most aggressive supporters of the local team had
picked Pele' as their target.

When his first shot hit the outside of the net, a powerful voice,
accompanied by ironic laughs and booing, shouted:
"Hey, little nigger, you're nothing but an apprentice."

A few moments later Pele's pass to his left wing Pepe was too short.
Now insults hurled down on him:
"Clown, go back to Bauru. Your place is in the forest."

Pele' headed a ball over the crossbar. From the same stands came a 
volley of insults:
"Monkey! Forget soccer, it's not a game for niggers!"

Now Pele' was at mid-field, controlling the ball with his chest.
An opponent flung himself at him; he avoided him by backing up
and, before the ball touched the ground, lifted it over the
head of his attacker, took it on his foot in full stride,
eliminated a second defender the same way, then a third,
and finally the goalie who had come out to challenge him.
Then he flicked the ball into the empty net, this time with
his head.

The crowd could hardly believe its eyes. Pele' had juggled the ball
over a distance of 50 yards while thwarting the furious assaults
of four adversaries and flipping it into the goal with
an ease that bordered the miracolous. Four "chapeus" (hats) [*]
in an irresistible obstacle race. Nobody believed such a technical
feat was possible!

Pele' did not stop to look at the ball deep in the net while the
crowd roared its enthusiasm. He ran toward the stands whence
came the insults and screamed:

"That's how monkeys score goals!"

Just for good measure, he added 2 more and Juventus was beaten 4-0.
(...)
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My comment:
[*] A "chapeu", that is, flipping the ball over the head of an opponent,
    who is fancing you, while picking it on the other side without
    the ball ever touching the grass, is the most humiliating move
    a forward can inflict on a defender in Brazil. The defender,
    professional or amateur, would use his hands (if he can) to avoid it. 

Andre Campos Nogueira
The University of Texas at Austin
ceby313@hermes.chpc.utexas.edu