Pelé Went from Poverty to Football Superstardom贝利：从穷小子到大球星

He was just a boy， only 17. Yet in the World Cup final of 1958 Edson Arantes do Nascimento， better known as Pelé， showed the poise1 and supreme skill that would mark his career. As Brazil led Sweden， the hosts， by two goals to one he received a high pass in the penalty area. With a defender on his shoulder2， he caught the ball on his chest， took one pace3 and flipped the ball high over another defender before running to meet it and driving an unstoppable volley4 low into the net.

他还是个小将，年仅17岁。然而在1958年世界杯决赛中，埃德松·阿兰特斯·多纳西门托（更为人熟知的称呼是贝利）展现出了他职业生涯中标志性的矫健身姿和超凡技巧。当巴西队以二比一领先东道主瑞典队时，他在禁区内接到一记高传球。面对一名后卫的近身紧盯，他挺胸停球，一个加速，把球高高挑过另一名后卫的头顶，然后奔到球前，以一脚势不可挡的凌空抽射，把球低送入网。

Though he said so himself， it was a nice goal. After looping in another5， realising they were about to win the whole tournament， he passed out with emotion on the pitch. He felt he had achieved everything， all his dreams come true—even to a fling with6 a blonde， blue-eyed Swedish girl who was crazy for this little black Crioulo7， as he loved to call himself.

这球进得漂亮，虽然这是他自己的说法，但此言不虚。他穿梭过人梅开二度后，意识到巴西队即将赢得本届冠军，激动得昏倒在球场上。他觉得自己实现了一切目标，所有的梦想都已成真——他甚至一度与一个金发碧眼、为这个黑小鬼而着迷的瑞典女孩坠入爱河，他喜欢自称黑小鬼。

This was only the first of three World Cups he won， more than any other player. It might have been four， but in 1966 the Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders kicked him to pieces， the referees didn’t protect him and Brazil， he thought， were badly prepared anyway， so they crashed out8.

他三夺世界杯，次数无人可敌，而这只是第一次。他本来有可能四次捧杯，但在1966年那届，保加利亚队和葡萄牙队的后卫把他踢成重伤，裁判也没有关照他，而巴西队在他看来本就准备不足，于是惨遭淘汰。

Three Argentines—Alfredo Di Stéfano， Diego Maradona and Leo Messi—all had their claims to be the world’s greatest footballer. But he held the world record for goals， 1，279 in 1，363 matches， and that was unlikely to be surpassed. Even a goal he didn’t actually score， against England in the 1970 World Cup， became famous， because few—including him—could work out how Gordon Banks had managed to save it. Ever confident， he had shouted “Goal！” as he launched the header. It was scooped9 over the bar.

三位阿根廷球员——阿尔弗雷多·迪斯蒂法诺、迭戈·马拉多纳和莱奥·梅西——都各有球迷称其为世界上最伟大的足球运动员。但贝利在1363场比赛中打进1279球，保持着进球数的世界纪录，而且这一纪录不太可能打破。就连他在1970年世界杯上对阵英格兰队时没有打进的一粒球也成了名球，因为包括他自己在内，几乎没有人弄得清英格兰门将戈登·班克斯是如何扑救的。一向自信满满的他在头球攻门的同时高喊“进了！”。结果门将把球托出了门梁顶上。

As a forward he was not that tall， but he was strong， fast and had thighs as thick as his waist. He could read the game like a book， and control the ball as if it was drawn to him like a magnet. He could also tell exactly where he was needed， and when， and what the opposition might try to block him. All this seemed to make him a natural captain， but he never wanted that role officially. He would just show the team his best moves， and was happy to provide the killer pass for others to finish.

他身为前锋，个子不算高，但身强体壮、速度迅猛，大腿和腰一样粗。他善于解读比赛形势，仿佛球长在了脚上。他还能准确判断出队友需要自己何时出现在球场的何处，以及对手可能试图怎样阻断他。这一切似乎让他天生就是队长的料，但他从无正式担任队长的念头。他只会向全队展示最佳招式，并乐于传出威胁球，助攻他人踢出临门一脚。

Dribbling10 was his great skill， flummoxing11 defenders with feints12 and sudden stops and starts. He could shoot for goal powerfully with either foot and despite his height， or lack of it， was a spring-heeled header of the ball. He jumped so easily over Tarcisio Burgnich， the Italian marking13 him in the 1970 World Cup final， that Burgnich doubted he was flesh and bone at all. Then he scored the first goal. He knew he was the best player in that tournament and， with the next World Cup four years away， he declared he wouldn’t play any more.

他的拿手好戏是运球，通过假动作和急停急走让对方后卫摸不着头脑。他的左右脚都能大力射门，他尽管个子不高甚至偏矮，却是个长着弹簧腿的头球手。他在1970年世界杯决赛中一跃而起，轻而易举地力压盯防他的意大利球员塔尔奇西奥·布尔尼克，以至于布尔尼克怀疑他根本不是血肉之躯。然后，他甩头顶进了第一粒球。他知道自己是那届世界杯的最佳球员，而下一届世界杯还远在四年之后，他却宣布不会再参加世界杯了。

He retired， he felt， at his best， and before football stopped being fun. His World Cup goal at 17 had been nothing but joy， no nerves， no responsibility， but his thousandth goal， in 1969 from a penalty， was completely different. His legs shook， the whole of the Maracanã stadium was yelling， and he was suddenly crushed by the thought that he， three times world champion， most famous footballer， could not miss this. He had never felt pressure like it.

他觉得自己是在巅峰期急流勇退的，退役再晚就会对足球失去兴趣了。他17岁在世界杯进球的那一刻，心中只有快乐，没有焦虑，没有负担，但1969年他主罚点球，第一千次破门的时候却截然不同。他双腿打颤，整个马拉卡南体育场人声鼎沸，他一想到自己是三届世界冠军、最负盛名的球员，不能罚失这粒点球，心就突然沉重起来。他感受到了前所未有的压力。

Nor had he imagined he would face it. He was born in poverty in a town in the south-west of Minas Gerais state; his great-grandparents had been slaves. His first trainer was his father， a professional footballer whose career at Vasco da Gama was ended early by injury. His mother preferred him to be unhurt and earning proper money. Even a ball was too costly： he played with anything roughly round， socks stuffed with paper， mangoes or a bundle of rags. His lifetime love took root then， and never left him. The nickname “Pelé”， a classmate’s tease14， annoyed him at first （“Edson” was more serious， after Thomas Edison）， but he liked it better when he learnt it meant “miracle” in Hebrew. And miracles followed. At only 15 he was snapped up15 by Santos， his first professional club. Largely because of him it became the best team in the world in the early 1960s， winning two Intercontinental Cups.

他也没有想到自己会面对这种压力。他出生在巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州西南部小镇的贫寒家庭，曾祖辈是奴隶。父亲是他的第一位教练，曾是效力瓦斯科·达伽马俱乐部的职业足球运动员，因伤英年早退。母亲希望他平平安安地好好赚钱。即使是一个足球，对他而言也太过昂贵；任何形似球状的东西他都拿来踢，如塞满纸的袜子、芒果或破布捆成的布球。从此他把毕生的爱好植根于心，从未割舍。“贝利”是同学开玩笑起的绰号，他起初很讨厌（本名“埃德松”更正经，是发明家爱迪生的姓氏变体），但当他得知“贝利”在希伯来语中意为“奇迹”时，他就更爱听别人叫这个绰号了。奇迹随之而来。年仅15岁，他就被自己的第一家职业俱乐部桑托斯捷足先登签下。桑托斯于20世纪60年代初成为世界头号强队，在洲际杯两度夺魁，很大程度上要归功于他。