Sports

Pele The King, The GOAT: Historic Milestone & Legacy Of A Football Legend

Published

3 years ago

December 29, 2022

The greatest player of all time, as widely regarded and three-time World Cup winner, Pele was announced dead by his family on Thursday.

The Brazilian football legend, who masterminded the “beautiful game,” died at the age of 82.

Read also: BREAKING: Brazilian football legend Pele is dead

Here is some of the historic milestone & legacy of the football legend.

Pele is the only footballer in history to win three World Cups — 1958, 1962 and 1970. He was named athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999.

pic.twitter.com/LM2Fi1jHQ3— SportsGrid (@SportsGrid) December 29, 2022

Nicknamed “O Rei” (The King), he scored more than 1,000 goals in one of the most storied careers in sport, before retiring in 1977.

He had been in increasingly fragile health, battling kidney problems and colon cancer — undergoing surgery for the latter in September 2021, followed by chemotherapy.

‘Samba football’

Born October 23, 1940, in the southeastern city of Tres Coracoes, Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Pele’s real name — grew up selling peanuts on the street to help his impoverished family get by.

His parents named him for famed American inventor Thomas Edison.

But he was soon given the nickname Pele, for his mispronunciation of Bile, the name of a goalkeeper at Vasco de Sao Lourenco, where his footballer father once played.

Pele dazzled from the age of 15, when he started playing professionally with Santos. He led the club to a flurry of titles, including back-to-back Intercontinental Cups, against Benfica in 1962 and AC Milan in 1963.

Known for his genius with the ball, he epitomized the sublime style of play called “samba football” in Brazil, where he was declared a “national treasure.”

He scored an all-time record 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches for Santos (1956-74), the Brazilian national team, and the New York Cosmos (1975-77).

But beyond his records, he will be remembered for revolutionizing the sport, his ever-present number 10 on his back.

The first global football star, he played a lead role in the game’s transformation into a sporting and commercial powerhouse, tapping his preternatural athleticism despite his relatively small size — 1.70 meters (just under five-foot-seven).

He also played with heart, visible in the iconic black-and-white footage of the 17-year-old phenom bursting into tears after helping Brazil to its first World Cup title, in 1958.

Eight years earlier, seeing his father cry when Brazil lost the 1950 World Cup final at home to Uruguay, he had promised to bring the trophy home one day.

Sports royalty

Pele reached the pinnacle of his greatness at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, the first broadcast in color, where he starred on what many consider the greatest team of all time, with talents such as Rivellino, Tostao and Jairzinho.

He was often welcomed like royalty when traveling abroad with Santos or the national team. Legend has it in 1969 his arrival in Nigeria was the occasion for a 48-hour truce in the bloody Biafra war.

Pele declined offers to play in Europe, but signed for a brief, lucrative swan song with the Cosmos at the end of his career, bringing his star power to the land of “soccer.”

His reign extended beyond the pitch, with gigs as a movie star, singer and later sports minister (1995-1998) — one of the first black cabinet members in Brazil.

But he faced criticism at times in Brazil for remaining quiet on social issues and racism, and for what some saw as his haughty, vain personality.

Unlike Argentine rebel Diego Maradona, his rival for the title of greatest of all time, Pele was seen as close to those in power — including Brazil’s 1964-1985 military regime.

Final match

Pele’s public appearances had grown increasingly rare, and he frequently used a walker or wheelchair.

He was hospitalized several times for urinary infections, then again in 2021 and 2022 for the colon cancer that marked the beginning of the end.

But he met his health problems with trademark humor.

“I will face this match with a smile on my face,” he posted on Instagram in September 2021, after surgery to remove his colon tumor.

He was deeply moved when Maradona, his longtime friend and rival, died of a heart attack in 2020 at age 60.

“The world has lost a legend,” he wrote.

“One day, I hope, we will play soccer together in the sky.”

VANGUARD

Sports

UCL: Why I Snubbed Move To Real Madrid – Saliba

Published

6 days ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

Arsenal defender, William Saliba, has revealed why he turned down a move to Real Madrid.

Saliba recently put pen to paper on a contract extension with the Gunners.

The Frenchman has now claimed he wants to win silverware with the Premier League side, before he can think of leaving the Emirates.

“Of course it’s really tempting when a club like that is interested in you.

“But I wanted to win titles at Arsenal first before thinking about anything else,” Saliba told Telefoot.

Saliba might get his wish this season, as Arsenal look well on course to end their two-decade wait for the league title.

Mikel Arteta’s men are six points clear at the top after 10 matches.

Sports

UCL Matchday 4: Liverpool Host Real Madrid, Bayern Face PSG, Other Fixtures

Published

6 days ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

The league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League hits its halfway mark on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Matchday 4 arrives with drama scripted across Europe.

Eighteen games, countless storylines, and a stage where heroes, heartbreak, and history are never far apart.

From Anfield to Paris, Turin to Prague — the world’s greatest club competition enters its next act.

These preview details were obtained from the UCL website on Monday.

1. Liverpool vs Real Madrid

A rivalry defined by glory and grief — from Kyiv to Paris to Anfield’s famous nights.

Last season, the Reds finally broke their curse, a 2-0 victory ending an eight-game winless run against Los Blancos. Now, Jürgen Klopp’s men return to Anfield, chasing a 16th straight European home win — an Anfield fortress roaring under the lights.

Mohamed Salah stands on the brink of greatness: two goals from becoming the first African player to reach 50 in the Champions League. Across the pitch, a familiar face wears white now — Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Scouser turned Galáctico, facing the Kop for the first time.

Madrid’s own prodigy, Jude Bellingham, could rewrite history too. At 22 years and 128 days, he’s set to become the youngest ever player to make 50 Champions League appearances — eclipsing Iker Casillas, the symbol of Madrid’s golden past.

It’s not just a match. It’s memory, emotion, and destiny colliding.

2. PSG vs Bayern Munich

Paris have lost just two of their last 41 home Champions League group stage games, and the Parc des Princes is again a fortress. But Bayern are serial conquerors, with 13 wins in their last 15 meetings against French opposition.

All eyes will be on Ousmane Dembélé, who’s lived every twist of this rivalry — scorer, provider, even villain. He faces his old Bundesliga tormentors with something to prove. Meanwhile, Lucas Hernández meets his former teammates after switching red for blue.

At the other end, Harry Kane continues his European rampage — 11 goals in his last ten UCL appearances — while Joshua Kimmich eyes his 100th Champions League match for Bayern, joining legends Müller, Neuer, Lahm, and Kahn in elite company.

It’s a battle of old foes and new ambitions — with the scent of late drama thick in the Paris air.

3. Slavia Praha vs Arsenal

In Prague, memories of 2021 linger — when Arsenal crushed Slavia’s quarter-final dreams with a 4-0 rout.
Four years later, the Czech champions seek payback on home soil.

Slavia have found their scoring rhythm — goals in 26 of their last 27 European home games — but face an Arsenal side in imperious form. The Gunners are unbeaten in ten against Czech clubs, with seven straight UCL league-phase wins.

Gabriel Martinelli has found the net in all three of Arsenal’s group games — and the Brazilian’s fearless energy has made him Mikel Arteta’s symbol of this new Arsenal: vibrant, ruthless, relentless.

History favors the Gunners — but Slavia’s home spirit, under the lights of Eden Arena, makes this more than a formality. It’s redemption, reimagined.

4. Juventus vs Sporting CP
In Turin, it’s about legacy.

Juventus, chasing their 500th European Cup goal — the first Italian team to do so — meet Sporting CP, winless against Italian opposition since 2011.

The Bianconeri have stumbled on the continental stage lately — only two wins in their last 11 European games — and must rediscover their old ruthlessness. Sporting, ever daring, have scored in 19 straight group-stage matches, and will not come quietly.

For both sides, this isn’t just a fixture. It’s a test of belief.

Elsewhere Across Europe on Tuesday:

Tottenham vs Copenhagen
Napoli vs Frankfurt
Atlético Madrid vs Union Saint-Gilloise
Bodø/Glimt vs Monaco
Olympiacos vs PSV Eindhoven
PUNCH Online reports that the remaining games will take place on Wednesday.

Pafos vs Villarreal and Qarabağ vs Chelsea kick off early.
Ajax vs Galatasaray
Club Brugge vs Barcelona
Inter vs Kairat
Man City vs Dortmund
Newcastle vs Athletic Club
Marseille vs Atalanta
Benfica vs Leverkusen. Also reports that only five teams have maintained a perfect start winning all three games from the previous match days.

Sports

Okpebholo Bags SWAN Governor of the Year Award

Published

2 weeks ago

October 29, 2025

Editor

National Leadership of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has named the governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as the Distinguished Governor of the Year in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of sports in Nigeria.

The award will be formally presented to the governor on Friday, October 31, during SWAN’s 60th Diamond Jubilee Anniversary.

Edo State Chairman of SWAN, Comrade Kehinde Osagiede, disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin when he led members of his executive on a courtesy visit to the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua.

Osagiede said the visit was aimed at officially introducing the Edo SWAN Executive — which assumed office about a year ago — to the commissioner and to strengthen collaboration between the association and the state government.

“Governor Monday Okpebholo was carefully selected for this honour because of his remarkable contributions to sports development in Nigeria within his first year in office.

“We also came to congratulate you, Mr. Commissioner, on your well-deserved appointment, and to inform you, as the spokesperson of the state government, about the forthcoming award to the governor,” he said.

He further assured that the Edo SWAN chapter would continue to collaborate with the state government to promote sports development across the state.

In his response, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, thanked SWAN for the recognition accorded Governor Okpebholo and for its support towards sports promotion in Edo State.

Afegbua, who disclosed that the governor was currently on official duty in Ekiti State, promised to brief him about the honour.

He urged sports journalists in the state to give balanced and positive coverage to the activities of Bendel Insurance Football Club, Edo Queens, and other sporting programmes initiated by the state government.

“The Edo State Government will continue to partner with SWAN to advance sports development in the state,” the commissioner assured.