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[Hugh]

Unconfirmed report mentioned by the BBC that he is failing to respond to chemotherapy.

If not the greatest, certainly one of the greatest. His record of scoring over 1,000 goals is comparable to Jackie Swindell's scoring record at Altrincham, but at the very highest level and over decades. The Yoruba must be very proud of him. I hope he pulls through.

[SW]

Very sad news, as someone of a certain age I seem to be saying goodbye to childhood heroes so regularly as well unfortunately as some of my own generation.

[Bangor on Dee Robin]

Sad news of a great player and ambassador.  So humble too, he said George Best was the best ever player & Bobby Moore second.

I guess his heritage is Mozambique Hugh, so not sure why the Yoruba (Nigeria, Benin), but thank you Hugh for the update.

[Hugh]

Someone I know told a story of when he was a linesman in Nigeria, and one time he met Pele when he was playing in that country and tried to speak to him in Yoruba, having presumably heard that he had connections to the Yoruba. Apparently Pele had to apologise that he didn't actually know the language - I suppose he wouldn't have had much need of it growing up in Brazil. Still, you could be right. It seems Pele is also a word in Yoruba so maybe there is no connection.

[Hugh]

Here is the bit from the linesman's book. He was also a player, playing at the time for a team called the Lagos Casuals, and as such invited with his club to watch a match between Nigeria and Brazil when Pele was playing. He writes of the occasion: "We had the honour of meeting up with him after the match. The game itself was a beautiful exhibition of controlled play by Pele and his colleagues. The result of the game was inevitable but irrelevant to the fact that it was a delight to watch and Pele afterwards was great. Incidentally Pele comes from the Yoruba area of Brazil in Belem where as a youngster playing soccer he would dodge and dive, as he still does and the children used to shout Pele, in Yoruba, meaning Sorry - "ekpele" - Sorry in that way is a typical thing Yoruba's say to each other when someone missed out something. Pele himself cannot speak Yoruba although he admitted his parents do."

So rights Chief Elwyn Williams, who is in fact Welsh (now with a b and b in Penygroes that I sometimes go to) but took a great interest in the Yoruba culture during his time in Nigeria.

[nimeta]

There is a strong Yoruba culture in NE Brasil, due to historic slave trafficking. But Pele was born in Minas Gerais and spent most of his early years in SP.

That said, Brasil is so multi cultural that it's likely he had much interaction with Yoruba's throughout his life.

Anyway, he is in the very best hospital in Brasil, so plenty of reasons to be hopeful.

[swindellsworth]

Back in the day a popular quiz question was  " who is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento better known as " . It is of course the great man himself  .Best wishes to one of the all time icons of Sport.

[Saughall Robin]

Back in the day a popular quiz question was  " who is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento better known as " . It is of course the great man himself  .Best wishes to one of the all time icons of Sport.

Is it Chris Senior? 🤔

[JD]

Back in the day a popular quiz question was  " who is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento better known as " . It is of course the great man himself  .Best wishes to one of the all time icons of Sport.

Is it Chris Senior? 🤔

 

[Mick]

Back in the day a popular quiz question was  " who is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento better known as " . It is of course the great man himself  .Best wishes to one of the all time icons of Sport.

Ah yes....the old 'real names' classic quiz round.....

Marion Morrison
Archibald Leach
Doris Kapelhoff.....all spring to mind

[JD]

Back in the day a popular quiz question was  " who is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento better known as " . It is of course the great man himself  .Best wishes to one of the all time icons of Sport.

Ah yes....the old 'real names' classic quiz round.....

Marion Morrison
Archibald Leach
Doris Kapelhoff.....all spring to mind

Shirley Crabtree
Maurice Mickelwhite

[One Foot in the Grave]

Back in the day a popular quiz question was  " who is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento better known as " . It is of course the great man himself  .Best wishes to one of the all time icons of Sport.

Ah yes....the old 'real names' classic quiz round.....

Marion Morrison
Archibald Leach
Doris Kapelhoff.....all spring to mind

Shirley Crabtree
Maurice Mickelwhite

William Henry Pratt
Richard Starkey
Reginald Dwight

[Saughall Robin]

David John Harman

[swindellsworth]

Harry Webb
Farrokh Bulsara
Robert Zimmerman
the lovely Norma Jeane Mortenson👄

[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

Pele in action against a one-time Alty striker when New York Cosmos played Dallas Tornado in the NASL in 1975: