A Celebration of Soccer’s Greatest Player
Greatness takes a physical toll on all those who achieve it. So it is a testament to Pelé’s courage and indomitable will that this month he will mark eight decades on the world stage after years of being battered by the game’s hatchet men and a series of recent medical issues. Eight by Eight Writer-at-Large David Hirshey who has known Pelé since 1975—and collaborated with him on a memoir—pays tribute to the man who forever transformed the sport in his own joyous image.