The modern history of football knows many names of the legendary leather ball masters. Undoubtedly, each fan has his own list of the best athletes in the world, which may not coincide with the ratings annually compiled by many media. We will turn to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, which in 2000, through a survey of journalists and world sports veterans No. 1, established the best player of the 20th century. According to the majority of respondents, they became the legendary Brazilian striker Pele.
Edson Arantis do Nascimento
This is the full name of the king of football. Born in 1940 in Tres Corazoins, a small town in eastern Brazil, Edson took his first steps in sports under the guidance of his father, who himself was the striker of the local team. Undoubtedly, a gifted by nature boy possessed great industriousness and great love for the game itself. Already at a young age, the future star stood out among her peers with excellent speed, ball possession techniques and delivered blows from both legs.
The best football player in the world made his debut for the world famous Brazilian club Santos when he was under 16 years old. And in the next, 1958, as part of the Brazilian national team, he becomes the world champion. The yellow-green team of that time shone with such football legends as Garrincha, Didi, Zagalo, but it was Pele who scored the winning goal against the team of Wales in the quarterfinal match. You can long list all the titles and awards that Edson received during his career. It should only be noted that to this day he is the only player in the world who has won the World Cup three times (1958, 1962, 1970).
The best goalkeeper in the world
The best goalkeeper of the world in the 20th century was recognized by our famous athlete Lev Ivanovich Yashin. With excellent coordination and fantastic reaction, he is considered the innovator of football. It was he who first began to go beyond the penalty area, helping the defenders to destroy the attacks of opponents. And his excellent vision of the field, coupled with the accurate throwing the ball into the field with his hand, allowed the players of the Moscow Dynamo and the USSR team to quickly carry out counterattacks on the opponent’s goal. Many specialists still call these goalkeeper techniques “Yashinsky”.
The USSR national team, in which football legends such as Igor Netto, Valentin Ivanov, Slava Metreveli, Viktor Monday and others played, won the first European Championship in history in 1960. Lev Yashin was awarded the title of the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Our athlete to this day is the only goalkeeper to whom the Golden Ball was awarded. The cup, annually awarded to the best football player in Europe, was received by Yashin in 1963. During his career, the great athlete spent 817 games, and in 207 of them did not miss the ball into his own net.
World football legends
Great footballers of the past - German Franz Beckenbauer, Argentinean Diego Maradona, Frenchman Michel Platini - made their invaluable contribution to the development of the popular game. That attitude, exorbitant attitude and dedication in each match brought them love and respect of the fans.
Football legends participate in many events dedicated to popularizing the game. Some of them, such as the Romanian defender Razvan Rat or the Argentinean Lionel Messi, have their own charitable foundations that help children in need.
Legends Cup in Russia
Every year since 2009, a tournament has been held in the Russian Federation, called the "Cup of Legends". Players of national teams no younger than 35 years old take part in it. In addition to the sports component of the football legend, they hold master classes for children and charity events in children's institutions.