He still has the ball at his feet

Nothing need be said about the career of Edson Arantes de Nascimento, further than the fact that he is more commonly known as Pele.

He emerged from a story of poverty and struggle that is de rigueur amongst Brazilian footballers, and yet ascended to the greatest heights of celebration and celebrity by virtue not only of longevity and effectiveness, but also of style and poise.

When he had the ball at his feet, time stood still; he always had as long as he needed to do whatever he liked, and that would usually by something few players could dream of.

And yet, once he finally stepped off the football field, he perforce found, like so many professionals before and after him, that life inthe real world does not respond to his skills quite as neatly as life on the ball.

In 1975, Pele came out of his year-long retirement to play in Major League Soccer for the New York Cosmos, a move that is said to have inspired David Beckham’s recent decision making.

Forceful rumours persist, however, that a large motivation for Pele was the fact that several big money investments he had made during and after his career had performed catastrophically, and that he needed to move to the States to pay off his debts.

In 2001, these fears re-emerged, after Pele’s promotions company Pele Sports & Marketing was accused of stealing US$700,000 from UNICEF, which had been given for a charity match in Brazil that was then cancelled. Pele himself was not directly suspected, but reports emerged that his business partners had stolen in excess of US$7m of charitable funds while working with them.

Just as his mantle began to slip, the Brazilian public began to turn on their hero after they became increasingly convinced that his anti-corruption work in the Brazilian football federation was not only ineffectual at best, and dishonest at worst, but was also just an excuse for him to make the contacts for his lucrative marketing work.

Even as he has struggled in the world of finance, Pele has always retained a name and affection that stands him in good stead.

His occasional acting career reached a height in 1981 when he starred in a Second World War film Escape to Victory, and his endorsements keep on trading on his past talents.

He has avoided the path of self-destruction as preferred by Diego Maradona, his usual rival for the ‘Greatest Ever’ title, and countless other ex-sportsmen.

His opinion is still sought around the world on footballing matters, and even his more outrageous predictions still make headlines.

In the end, wouldn’t anyone agree to promote Viagra for big money and the chance to ‘raise awareness’ about impotence?

Pele’s position is clear on both that question and the subject of whether he believes taking the drug is a good idea: ‘I would.’