Chapter 13
IA, THE GREAT KING PELE
I feel immense respect and admiration for Edson Arantes and that is why I am encouraged to write a few words that serve to catapult his immensity as a good person, from whom we can take advantage of his teachings for the benefit of humanity, using twenty of his phrases, the fruit of his great intelligence.
Cesar Luis Menotti, the Argentine coach who won the World Cup in 1978, speaking of Pelé: “He was the best player in history. When we talk about the best, Pelé as a footballer had everything; he lacked absolutely nothing: a privileged physique, he was a man who won in physical disputes, he headed like the gods. He was the greatest, the best of all time for me.”
Pelé, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), was one of the most iconic footballers in history. Considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, he left an indelible legacy in world football. Here are some general facts about him:
Career and Achievements
Birth: October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil.
Clubs: Mainly played for Santos FC
(1956-1974) and ended his career with the New York Cosmos (1975-1977).
National Team: He represented Brazil between 1957 and 1971.
World Cups: He won three World Cups with Brazil ( 1958, 1962 and 1970 ), being the only footballer in history to achieve this.
Official Goals: He is credited with more than 1,000 goals in his professional career.
Honorary Ballon d'Or: He received a special Ballon d'Or in 2013 for his impact on football.
Impact and Legacy
He popularized football around the world with his talent, charisma and humility.
He was an ambassador for football and promoted the sport in places where it was not so popular.
He championed social causes and was Brazil's sports minister in the 1990s.
Curiosities:
His nickname "Pelé" comes from a childhood mistake when trying to pronounce the name of a goalkeeper he admired.
Despite being a football icon, he never played for a European club.
In 1970, at the World Cup final, Brazil wore a golden uniform in his honor, marking its golden era.
He was named "Athlete of the Century" by the IOC and FIFA.
Pelé was not only a symbol of football, but also a global cultural and sporting icon. His legacy lives on in every corner of the world.
HIS VALUABLE QUOTES
1. “All my life I thank God. My family was very religious.”
2. “God gave me the gift of knowing how to play football, but I got the rest by training and preparing myself thoroughly to accept any result.
3. “This is a great responsibility. I feel very comfortable, although something I can't figure out is why God gave me this gift.”
4. “I try to be the best person possible. I try to be respectful, I prepare myself to always be in good health. But the most important thing is to respect people.”
5. “A friend of mine, who is a comedian in Brazil, told me: listen, God stopped the game because he wanted everyone to see your thousandth goal. That's why he wanted it to be a penalty kick.”
6. “It would be very difficult for another Pelé to emerge. 7. “My father
used to say: listen. God gave you the gift of being able to play football. If you take care of your health, if you are in good shape all the time, with the gift that God gave you no one will stop you, but you must be prepared.”
8. “Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, study, sacrifice and, above all, the love for what you are doing or learning to do.”
9. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness of winning.”
10. “I am a calm, quiet man. I have a lot of patience and that is why I can endure the blows that I receive on the field or the bruises that the supporters give me when they congratulate me. I like to make friends, I do not collect enemies.”
11.” I saw my father crying. I didn’t understand why he was crying, because I had always been told that men don’t cry. I told him: Dad, don’t cry. I will win the World Cup for you, don’t cry.”
12.” When a boy scores a lot of goals, many people think: he is a great player, because a goal is a very important goal, but a great player is someone who can do everything on the pitch. He can encourage his colleagues, give them confidence to keep going. He is someone who, when a team is not doing well, becomes one of the leaders.”
13. “To prevail, the coach must have good knowledge and inspire confidence. He cannot become an executioner, that mistake is often paid for dearly because great teams, like great companies, are built on unity and mutual respect, not on a whip.”
14. “If you don't educate people, it's easy to manipulate them.”
15. “I am constantly asked about players. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one, two or three star teams.”
16. “People there loved football so much that they suspended the war to watch Santos play in Africa. This was fantastic. It was indescribable.”
17.“No individual can win a game by himself.”
18. “It feels bad to be retired. I still dream that I am dribbling, scoring goals.”
19. “Sport is something that inspires young people a lot.”
20. “Politicians have caused us to always suffer poverty in Brazil.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers various tools to preserve and disseminate the history and teachings of iconic figures such as Pelé. Below are some relevant applications:
1. Digitization and Archiving of Contents
AI facilitates the digitization of photographs, videos and documents related to Pelé, allowing for their efficient analysis and cataloging. This technology can automatically tag images and videos, improving the organization and accessibility of historical material.
2. Digital Restoration and Conservation
Using AI algorithms, it is possible to digitally restore damaged audiovisual material, such as old recordings of matches or interviews. This ensures that future generations can enjoy these contents in high quality.
3. Creating Interactive Experiences
AI can generate interactive experiences, such as chatbots that simulate conversations with Pelé, based on his interviews and statements. It can also develop virtual tours of museums dedicated to his legacy, offering an immersive educational experience.
4. Sports Data Analysis
By applying AI to Pelé’s match analysis and statistics, deep insights can be gained into his playing style and contributions to football. This enriches the understanding of his impact on the sport.
5. Long-Term Preservation
Specialized companies use advanced technologies to store information digitally on long-term media, ensuring that Pelé's legacy lives on for centuries.
6. Diffusion on New Platforms
AI makes it easier to adapt Pelé content to emerging digital formats, such as NFTs and augmented reality applications, expanding its reach to new audiences.
Integrating AI into preserving Pelé’s legacy not only ensures the preservation of his story, but also enriches the way people interact and learn about his life and contributions to football and society.
