The icons who ruled the century

IT HAD been a fascinating century for football. A sport which had its origin in the late eighteenth century, evolved over the years, earned an organised look with the formation of the Football Association of England in 1863 and even before FIFA came into existence in 1904, the English body had laid the seeds of a sport that was to become one of the world's most popular event.

With such gigantic growth, FIFA has the highest membership of 203, accompanied by professionalism and excellence. Also giving it a rich look, both in terms of glamour and money.

From a rugged game to an artistic delight, from barefoot play to scientific coaching, football has come a long way. So also its exponents, who have also varied from the good to extraordinary, thanks to a variety of competitions, nothing being brighter and greater than the World Cup fixtures launched in 1930. World Cup formed the forum to parade the wares, so to say, of football talents from the different continents, the launch pad in fact of careers that have taken deserving talents to mind-boggling heights in both popularity and price tags by the turn of the century.

If the story of football is all about evolution then on the playfield too it was a tale of eras. Quite undoubtedly if it was that legendary Brazilian, Edson Arantes do Nascimento or popularly known as Pele who held the attention of millions of fans all around the globe in the sixties and early seventies then it was Diego Maradona who brought back that sublime touch of a genius to virtually singlehandedly lift Argentina to World Cup champion status in 1986. Both have been the greatest gifts to the game in the century gone by. The best advertisement in fact of a vibrant sport.

Such has been the variety of players who have risen to star level each year and decade that the followers of the game would probably be hard pressed to present the `best ten' at any given time. But there would be no two opinions on picking the best two for Pele and Maradona belong to that rare genre, who not only influenced the game but also imparted a distinct stamp of their class and ability. And that is not an ordinary matter in the midst of a galaxy of stars as Pele was to find himself when he was first thrust into the `samba' dance. Didi, Garrincha, Vava, Zagalo and Zito were some of the names making waves in international football when Pele stepped in to churn Brazilian football into a kind of sorcery. May be the presence of such great players helped Pele to quickly lend substance to his phenomenal talent. Fittingly Pele signalled his arrival by spearheading Brazil's first World Cup triumph at Sweden, 28 years after Uruguay had lifted the cup in the inaugural edition.

Pele had come at a time when Brazilian goal getters used to be Garrincha, the `little bird', Didi, the man famous for his `falling leaf' free kicks (known in later years as banana kicks), Vava and Zagalo. What made Pele different was his audacity as his goal against Sweden typified in that famous final. Catching a high ball on the thigh, deep in Sweden penalty area, he hooked it up and in a flash sent a volley crashing past the rival goalkeeper Svensson for a breathtaking finish. On the world stage and in the midst of such performers like Juan Schiaffino (Uruguay), Seeler (W. Germany), Kopa and Just Fontaine (France), to steal the thunder, so to say, was easily in the realms of a dream. And did his cup of joy not overflow when Brazil in the process also lifted the World Cup for the first time !.

Pele had transformed the Brazilians, made them believe in their rich talent and their mesmerising work outs. The young man was short of experience at that point of time but the superbly muscled man, who came from a poor black family, with his phenomenal goal scoring ability and springy legs was to delight the football world for more than a decade. Even in his last World Cup in 1970, which again went to Brazil for the third time to enable the country to keep the Jules Rimet trophy permanently, Pele's touch was unmistakable as he rose above the defence to fire an unstoppable header. It was a tremendous effort for a man who reluctantly came back after vowing that the 1966 Cup in England was his last after the cruelties inflicted on him by men, who did not have the status even to stand in his shadow. The genius had by then notched in 1000 goals, sent several thousand fans into a trance by the feats of his magical feet.

Santos was his first club and it was Cosmos in U.S. to which he faded away from Brazil. `The Greatest' had left after firmly putting Brazil on top of the football world. What also remained unforgettable about Pele among his admirers was the man's humility, his demeanour on the field and his undying devotion for his parents, who ironically did not wish that he should be a footballer and coach Waldemer de Brito, who unravelled the `black pearl'. In many ways he was also the man who gave soccer a shot in the arm in U.S.

The magical presence of Pele had hardly left the football arena then came the inventions if one were to describe the efforts at `total football'. The Italians worked on catenaccio while the great German, Beckenbauer gave a new insight into the role of a libero. Collective play became the rule and with scientific planning and cold strategies, world football was in for fresh era which was not expected to be as exciting as when a master juggler like Pele worked with the ball. The emphasis shifted from the Latin American artistry to the power and explosive approach of the Europeans. Oustanding players like Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Franz Beckenbauer and Muller surfaced.

Cruyff was the man many felt had the shades of `Pele' in the seventies for his inventiveness and incisiveness. A coach's delight for as Stefan Kovacs, the Rumanian coach of Ajax team was to state, ``Cruyff was a quick learner''. In fact Cruyff became the key to making total football a success in that 1974 World Cup. It was Holland's best moment but could not crown it with the Cup, losing to Germany in the final. But observers say that final had that unforgettable moment when Cruyff in one of those famous runs of his, went untouched to the rival penalty area before being tripped by Hoeness. A penalty awarded even before a German had touched the ball ! Cruyff had authored that sensational moment. It was a pity that a talent of his class, who had made waves in European championship could not help Holland to a World Cup triumph. Nonetheless history will always have a special place for him. As it will for Beckenbauer, who gave a new meaning to defence by lending an attacking streak to it.

They called him the `Kaiser' because such was his dominating presence on the field. His attacking sweeper's role made this graceful and skillful German a treat to watch. Beckenbauer had that uncanny ability to position himself intelligently to make every match hinge on his moves. His pioneering role in the defence gave a new dimension to the game and what is more made many believe that Beckenbauer had an old head on young shoulders. There was no doubt that German football in the seventies had his unmistakable influence particularly after he brought the country the Cup in 1974. Beckenbauer, who made Bayern Munich a famous club, was later to earn the honour of coaching his country to a World Cup success in 1990.

The post Pele phase brought about the over defensive strategies of teams, more so in Europe. And in this scheme of things it required the extraordinary talent of the short squat brilliant young Argentine by name Diego Maradona to bring back refreshing memories of the Pele era. Like Pele, Maradona too had a humble beginning, practically from the streets. The instinct for survival was what Maradona lived on in his formative years to make it an art of bewitching beauty on the football field years later. Maradona was an angry youngman in the 1982 edition and had a swift end to his aspirations but Mexico 1986 was unarguably Mardona's World Cup. Two amazing goals against England and Belgium in an era when individual skills were at a premium simply lifted the game to a new high. True his `hand of God' goal against England sullied his image and in fact a bigger blow to his career (drug charges) was to upstage him later, but not since Pele had a man held the centre stage on such a facile note.

Unlike Pele, Maradona did not stretch his influence much, though he figured in four World Cups from 1982 onwards. That perhaps robbed his status of some glint but there is no taking away the genius in the man, so supremely talented. He lifted the game, gave Argentina another World Cup triumph. As the noted writer Brian Glanville put it, ``seldom has a player, even Pele, so dominated a competition''. For a man, who in recent times showed the humility to state that he still thought Di Stefano was better than him, after he was given the exalted status of `Argentina's sportsperson of the century', it is an irony that his life off football had to be such a mess. Perhaps it had to do with the pressure of greatness, more so in a world where now private life is but a misnomer.

With football now a multi-billion dollar business at the highest level, chances are that pressure on performances are bound to rise. Recall how that Brazilian sensation and a hot property, Ronaldo crumbled in France. The new millennium is bound to throw up new stars. But whether it is a Ronaldinho or a Alvaro Recoba or a Mihailovic there can never be another Pele or a Maradona. They were the pillars of 20th century football. Unshakable and unmatched.

S. R. SURYANARAYAN

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