Pelé lived with injuries during the 1962 title and 1966 defeat

Few players have played in four World Cups. Pele is one of them.

But Pelé played just over half of the games. At the time when a selection played six games to the title, the star played in 13, always because of injuries.

In the conquest in Sweden, in 1958, he only debuted in the fourth match.

Four years later, in Chile, he suffered a serious injury again. He was no longer playing regularly for Santos. In the selection, the period of preparation in Friburgo and Serra Negra was not enough to recover it. Pele was exhausted.

In 1961, Santos played until December 27th, and, in 1962, was already on the field on January 3rd. The team made 94 appearances, and Pelé scored 110 goals.

It was under these circumstances that the player made his World Cup debut. Against Mexico, he crossed for Zagallo to score the first goal, with a header. Then he did the second.

But the cold weather in Viña del Mar that June 2 was fatal for his muscular health. At 25 minutes, after kicking hard from the edge of the penalty area, Pelé stopped and was no longer able to walk normally.

He had suffered a strained groin. The Czech players, led by the ace Masopust, avoided contact with him, on the rare occasions that he took the ball. There was no substitution. And the game ended 0-0. Pelé was out of the campaign to win the second World Cup.

In the 1966 World Cup, in England, a new tragedy. Pelé toured with Santos at the beginning of the year, returned at Carnival to marry Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and traveled on their honeymoon.

He presented himself to the national team with 44 more players, a huge disorganization that coach Vicente Feola was unable to manage.

On July 12, Brazil debuted against Bulgaria. They won 2-0, Pelé scored a free kick, but the team did not convince. Worse: the star again felt pain in his right knee.

He was out of the 3-1 defeat by Hungary, but the game with Portugal remained. Only victory would save the team.

And Pelé, even without the slightest physical condition, entered the field. On the day of the match, the newspaper Diário da Noite printed: “Pelé, play for us!”.

He couldn’t run, he didn’t have the agility to escape the rivals’ blows and, after a hard foul by Moraes, he couldn’t play anymore. Again, because there was no replacement, he was dragging his feet until the last minute.

Portugal won by 3 to 1. The world press elected Eusébio as the “new king”.