MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

'I knew bicycle kick because of Pele': Fans revisit soccer legend's famous move as they mourn his death at 82

A fan wrote, 'Even if you were not a soccer fan, you knew who Pele was. Who doesn't remember the bicycle kick from Victory (1981)'

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL: Fans are now reflecting on the illustrious life of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by the name Pele, who died at the age of 82. Pele sparked a revolution in the football industry as he turned soccer into a form of entertainment and art. He conveyed the voice of the underprivileged, the Black people, and most importantly, Brazil.

Following the 1985 World Cups that elevated Brazil's notoriety, Pele gained the moniker 'The King of Football' or simply 'The King Pele' for the rest of his playing days. A Guinness World Record has been established for his 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendlies. Pele started playing for Santos and the Brazil national team at the ages of 15 and 16, respectively. He was the only player to win the FIFA World Cup in three different years throughout his international career: 1958, 1962, and 1970. The runaround and bicycle kick, two of Pele's notable moves, have been imitated by numerous other football players.

READ MORE

'Rest in peace King Pele:' Cristiano Ronaldo's heartfelt tribute to football legend

'Pele is forever!' Lionel Messi, Mbappe, Neymar mourn football legend's death at 82

The bicycle kick made famous by Pele

The bicycle kick is believed to have originated in Chile and Peru in South America. Ramon Unzaga and Francisco Gatica, two Chileans, helped make this move famous in the early 1910s and 1920s. The bicycle kick is one of the most tricky kicks to execute on a football pitch.

To execute this move a player must be both physically strong and able to do acrobatic maneuvers as they have to jump and make touch with the ball in midair. An inexperienced player would have a great risk of hurting themselves if they attempted to execute the kick, hence the player also needs superb body control.

Given that Pele is regarded as the finest football player to have ever stepped foot on the field, it's no surprise that it took a legend like him to truly make the move an iconic one in the game. Pele performed the bicycle kick while facing away from the goal when playing against Belgium in 1965.

Pele claimed that he only performed the infamous "bicycle kick" three or four times throughout his career. This most famous maneuver was also featured in the 1981 film 'Escape to Victory', starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine.

Here is a video of a few of Pele's most remarkable and historic goals. 

On Twitter, several of Pele's fans have revisited this illustrious move by going back in time. One fan sharing a clip wrote, "Pelé's bicycle kick against the Miami Toros in 1976. In the outfield at Yankee Stadium, he scored one of the most beautiful goals in the history of American soccer. RIP, O Rei."

One more fan noting Pele performing the move in 'Escape to Victory' wrote, "Even if you were not a soccer fan, you knew who Pele was. Who doesn't remember the bicycle kick from Victory (1981)? His single biggest regret was to never score one in a World Cup."

A third fan tweeted, "Soccer legend Pelé, winner of record 3 World Cups has died at 82 years old. RIP." Another fan who shared the stunning image of Pele performing the iconic kick wrote, "Damn, RIP Pele. The first thing I ever knew about soccer, the bicycle kick, I knew because of Pele. Rest in Power, King."

Pele summed up the bicycle kick nicely in his 2007 autobiography, 'My Life and the Lovely Game'. "[W]hile actually not too valuable for making goals, [it's] still a beautiful thing to see properly executed. Actually, of all my goals, I think only four or five were obtained with the bicycle kick, but every Brazilian football player longs for the opportunity to perform this kick, if only for the pleasure of the fans," he stated.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.