Brazil team psychologist in 1958: Pele is obviously infantile. 🙃

Pele is obviously infantile. He lacks the necessary fighting spirit. He is too young to feel aggression and respond with appropriate force. In addition to that, he does not possess the sense of responsibility necessary for a team game.”

So read a now-infamous report compiled by Brazil’s team psychologist, Dr Joao Carvalhaes, ahead of the 1958 FIFA World Cup Sweden™. His verdict was decisive and unambiguous: the 17-year-old should not feature. Nor, indeed, should Garrincha.

Football is, of course, forever grateful for what happened next, as Pele recounted in his autobiography. “Fortunately for me and Garrincha, [Brazil coach Vicente] Feola was always guided by his instincts rather than experts. He just nodded gravely at the psychologist, and said, ‘You may be right. The thing is, you don’t know anything about football. If Pele’s knee is ready, he plays.'”

That knee, and the injury he had sustained in a pre-tournament practice match, proved an even more immediate danger to the youngster's participation in Sweden than Carvalhaes' dire warnings. But Feola took the gamble and was repaid handsomely. In the process, World Cup history was made.

When Pele found the net against Wales in the quarter-finals, he became the tournament’s youngest-ever scorer, eclipsing a record set by Mexican Manuel Rosas in the 1930 edition. Reflecting decades later, he described that particular strike as “the most important goal I’ve ever scored”.

“It boosted my confidence completely,” the great man added. “The world now knew about Pele. I was on a roll.”

Indeed he was. The 17-year-old went on to hit a brilliant hat-trick against France in the semi-finals before adding a memorable brace in the 5-2 win over Sweden, securing Brazil a first world title.

“The 1958 World Cup was my launching pad,” Pele has since said. “I was on the front pages of newspapers and magazines all over the world. Paris Match ran a cover story immediately after the victory, saying there was a new king on the block. The name stuck, and very soon I started to be called 'King Pele'. Or, more simply, 'the King'."