|
|
Article: Pel took center stage in Cup debut
- Article from:
- Oakland Tribune
- Article date:
- June 6, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 Oakland Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
HE'S PROBABLY THE best-known name in world soccer. He's Pel, and
he first came into the limelight in the World Cup in Sweden in 1958.
Only 17 years old, he played in the quarterfinals, scoring the
goal that eliminated my country, Wales, 1-0. From then on, there was
no stopping him.
In the semifinal, he scored three times as Brazil beat France 5-
2, but it was in the championship match against Sweden that the
world, and I, came to know Pel.
This was the first World Cup to be widely televised. I had never
seen anyone have such control of a ball as this 17-year-old from
Brazil. Ten minutes into the second half, in a crowded penalty-area,
he caught a dropping ball on his thigh, flicked it ...