Pele: From breaking Welsh hearts to World Cup legend
- Published
Pele's deflected shot beats Wales goalkeeper Jack Kelsey to give Brazil victory in the 1958 World Cup quarter-finals
Pele, who has died at the age of 82, described it as the most important goal of his long and illustrious career.
The second-half goal which saw off stubborn Wales in the 1958 World Cup quarter-finals was not spectacular nor pretty.
The 17-year-old's shot took a deflection off Wales defender Stuart Williams and wrong-footed goalkeeper Jack Kelsey, who had kept the Brazilians at bay in Gothenburg.
Young Pele was swamped by his team-mates in the Wales goalmouth. The relief was evident.
It was the first of 12 goals he scored over four tournaments and it marked his arrival on the international scene.
"We'd heard of Didi, Vava and Garrincha but we didn't know about this young kid called Pele," recalls Cliff Jones, the Tottenham Hotspur winger who was a member of Wales' squad in Sweden.
"He's only 17, picked the ball up in his own half, gone past three or four Welsh defenders, smacked the ball and Jack Kelsey tipped it over the bar.
"We thought, 'Who is this kid? Who is he?' We soon found out and the world of football found out."
The goal ultimately proved enough to beat Wales and Brazil went on to beat France in the semi-finals, with Pele scoring a hat-trick before a further two goals in the final victory over hosts Sweden.
"I suppose in many ways you can say it was a bit of a privilege to be on the field of play to see the emergence of possibly the greatest player the game has ever seen," Jones added.
Wales created such an impression on Brazil in 1958 that they were invited to South America for two warm-up games prior to the 1962 competition in Chile.
Pele scored in a 3-1 win at the Maracana and scored another two goals four days later as the Brazilians won by the same scoreline, a game which proved to be Kelsey's final international appearance.
"He had the complete game," Jones told BBC Radio Wales. "He had pace, ball control, both feet, was great in the air and was physical.
"He was an outstanding individual and it was a great pleasure to have been mentioned in the same breath as him."
Pele would win a total of three World Cup winner's medals while 64 years spanned Wales' first and next appearance at a World Cup finals.
Wales' exploits in Sweden and Pele's goal which ended the adventure were prominent during the build up to Qatar 2022.
But despite the passing of time, Pele remains a giant among today's superstars.
"A giant of the game and the reason so many of us love football. Rest in peace, legend," were the words Wales' 2022 World Cup captain Gareth Bale posted on Instagram.
The Football Association of Wales said in a statement: "Pele broke our hearts in 1958 to score his first World Cup goal to knock Cymru out. Today our hearts are broken again.
"A true sporting legend. Our thoughts are with the people of Brazil and the world football family."
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