Who is the greatest footballer of all time? A comic book has just reopened the debate with its answer
Pele. Maradona. Messi. Zidane. Ronaldo. These are names that divide generations and reopen family and bar debates. Choosing one or the other always ends in an all-out war.
It is not an easy decision to make. There are many variables. However, the creators of Blue Lock –one of the most outstanding sports manga today– are clear about who the real king of soccer is: Pele.Are they right or not?
Pele, the true King of Football… according to Blue Lock
In its most recent chapter, number 338, they send a very clear message: Pele is the king of soccer. That’s what they call him. And it’s more than a tribute to his nickname, ‘O Rei’. It’s a whole statement of intent: for them he is the number one and there is no discussion
It’s no coincidence. Their argument is simple but forceful. They are clear about the reason:he is the only footballer in history to have won three World Cups. He lifted the first in 1962 at the age of just 17, scoring in the final.He repeated in 1962 and 1970. No one has ever achieved anything like it. There are those who have come close, as there are many who have lifted the trophy to the sky on two occasions.
But there were only two. Pele did it three times and for Blue Lock there is no better reasoning than that to close the debate once and for all. However, this is not the only reason.
In a manga whose players are obsessed with goals, it is logical that one of the best strikers (if not the best) of all time is the main reference for its protagonists.
In fact, it is not the first time that they have cited him as the greatest. In the first chapter, published in 2018, they did so. In it, they spoke of Pele as “the greatest player of all time“, highlighting his ego as one of his greatest weapons.
Muneyuki Kaneshiro (script) and Yusuke Nomura (art) made Pele a symbol within their work for his hunger for goals. The story, after all, ‘boils down’ to creating the ultimate striker. A goal maniac. A purebred selfish player.
That’s what Japan needs if they want to aspire to the World Cup. They need a glory-hungry beast, an old-school goalscorer who only thinks of himself when the ball is at his feet.
And this is precisely why for Blue Lock the answer has always been the same: Pele. Other great players have been mentioned, but the Brazilian star has always had a special shine in the manga despite the fact that he has only appeared a couple of times.
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