PELE

I don't think I'm a very good businessman. I act too much with my heart.

Wherever you go, there are three icons that everyone knows: Jesus Christ, Pele and Coca-Cola.

I have to trust something that gives me power; I have to believe in something, but in my career I have a lot of moments I cannot explain with God.

When you play against dirty players or very tough players, it's easy to escape because you know what they're going to do. But when the player is tough but intelligent, it's much more difficult.

I represent Brazil all over the world. Wherever I go I have to do my best, to not disappoint the Brazilian people. And that I've done.

I always think that I would have become an actor if I hadn't been a soccer player.

The bicycle kick is not easy to do.

Everybody knows my life. I won a lot of tournaments and scored more than 1,000 goals, won three World Cups but I could not play in Olympic Games.

I played for Santos at 16, and we had an excellent team, so it helped a lot. And then I played for Brazil at the Maracana against Argentina. So I get more experience. This was one year before the World Cup, and it made a lot of difference.

Brazil eats, sleeps and drinks football. It lives football!

When I was a footballer, I surrounded myself with footballers. We were all friends. But in Brasilia you don't know who your friends are. It can be a dangerous place.

A lot of people, when a guy scores a lot of goals, think, 'He's a great player', because a goal is very important, but a great player is a player who can do everything on the field. He can do assists, encourage his colleagues, give them confidence to go forward. It is someone who, when a team does not do well, becomes one of the leaders.

In 1962, my injury wasn't because of violence; I just kicked the ball and it happened. And that was OK because Brazil won; I didn't have any difficulty in accepting that. I still got a medal because I'd played two games.

To be a striker you need to be in good shape.

I sometimes lie awake at night and wonder why I am still so popular and, to be honest, I don't know.

Of course, my father was a soccer player. He used to play very good. Then, when I was young, eight or nine years old, ten years old, I just want to be like my father.

I was really proud that I was named after Thomas Edison and wanted to be called Edson. I thought Pele sounded horrible. It was a rubbish name. Edson sounded so much more serious and important.

Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.

A penalty is a cowardly way to score.

If you don't give education to people, it is easy to manipulate them.

I am constantly being asked about individuals. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three star players.

Edson is the person that supports Pele. Edson is the base. Pele just comes and adds the face.

Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.

Brazil's always had great players, both at home and abroad, but we need to put all that talent together and mould a team out of it.

Lionel Messi is a wonderful player. Very skillful. Highly intelligent. He is not good in the air.