30+ Best Inspirational Quotes By Pelé (The Legendary Brazilian Footballer)

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Updated: April 25th, 2022

Brazilian former professional footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento, widely known as Pelé, is one of the greatest players of all time.

International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) voted him as the World Player of the Century in 2000. Guinness World Record also recognized his 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including the friendly matches.

Being present at the 1958 World Cup and as the first black global sporting star, he became a source of inspiration for many.

We've put together an incredible collection of the best Pelé quotes to read.

Here they are:

30+ Best Inspirational Quotes By Pelé (The Legendary Brazilian Footballer)

Powerful Pelé Quotes About Football

"Football is the only sport where you put people together, it doesn’t matter if you are rich, or poor, or black, or white. It is one nation. This is the beauty of football." - Pelé

"A penalty is a cowardly way to score." - Pelé

"Sometimes I look for the complete player, not just the players who score but those who can pass." - Pelé

"A good player is not who only scores goals but someone who can cheer his team and when the team is not performing well, he can act as a leader." - Pelé

"Football is the best, is the biggest sport in the world." - Pelé
"When you play against dirty players or very tough players, it's easy to escape because you know what they're going to do. But when the player is tough but intelligent, it's much more difficult." - Pelé

"Too many players think of a football as something to kick. They should be taught to caress it and to treat it like a precious gem." - Pelé

"I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint." - Pelé

"When you control the ball you control the score." - Pelé

"I always had a philosophy which I got from my father. He used to say, 'Listen. God gave to you the gift to play football. This is your gift from God. If you take care of your health, if you are in good shape all the time, with your gift from God no one will stop you, but you must be prepared.'" - Pelé

"The head talks to the heart and the heart talks to the feet." - Pelé

"At 17, I already had responsibility because I took care of my family, but in the football I was young; I wasn’t experienced or the captain – I was just in the team." - Pelé

"The World Cup is a very important way to measure the good players and the great ones. It is a test of a great player." - Pelé

“I am constantly being asked about individuals. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three-star players.” - Pelé

“A team is not made up of isolated individuals. Always stay in the game. Don't be passive. Football is a team game. No one plays alone. Success depends on your whole team being a single unit.” - Pelé

“Great teams are not made up of many well-rounded players. Great teams are made up of a variety of players, each having their own strengths.” - Pelé

"A lot of people, when a guy scores a lot of goals, think, 'He's a great player because a goal is very important, but a great player is a player who can do everything on the field. He can do assists, encourage his colleagues, and give them the confidence to go forward. It is someone who, when a team does not do well, becomes one of the leaders." - Pelé

Inspiring Pelé Quotes About Life and Success

"Everything is practice." - Pelé

"Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do." - Pelé
"Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string." - Pelé

"There is always someone out there getting better than you by training harder than you." - Pelé

"The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning." - Pelé

"Love is more important than what we can take... Please say with me three times - Love! Love! Love!" - Pelé

"If you don't give education to people, it is easy to manipulate them." - Pelé

"Everything on earth is a game. A passing thing. We all end up dead. We all end up the same, don't we?" - Pelé

"If you ever want to be a decent player, you have to be able to use both feet without stopping to think about it." - Pelé

“Success isn't determined by how many times you win, but by how you play the week after you lose.” - Pelé

“Courage can bring huge benefits to those who are prepared.” - Pelé

"If I pass away one day, I am happy because I tried to do my best. My sport allowed me to do so much because it's the biggest sport in the world." - Pelé

“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” - Pelé

“If you are first you are first. If you are second, you are nothing.” - Pelé

"You must respect people and work hard to be in shape. And I used to train very hard. When the other players went to the beach after training, I was there kicking the ball." - Pelé

"All my life, I thank God. My family was very religious." - Pelé

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