Football’s greatest ambassador: how Pele has broken down global barriers

Football icon: Pele popularised the bicycle kick CREDIT: GETTY

Pele has influenced the world far beyond the beautiful game, from helping children to halting – at least temporarily – a civil war.

When he started playing football the only barriers Pele was interested in breaking down were the walls of defenders between him and the goal. As his career progressed from potential into greatness, and he breached those defences more than a thousand times, he began to break down more significant barriers off the pitch, from spreading football’s gospel to halting a civil war.

Initially this was a by-product of his brilliance. Then, as he realised the possibilities of his status, he harnessed it. As a player, Pele took football to a growing world, even into the largely uncharted territory of the United States.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/priceless-experiences/pele-football-ambassador/