Pele ‘would have been sad’ at the state of Brazil team, says son

SAO PAULO – Pele “would have been sad” at the state of the current Brazil national team, his son Edinho told AFP in an interview days before the first anniversary of his death on Dec 29.

Brazil have struggled in their campaign to reach the 2026 World Cup, with three losses in six matches, including a first-ever qualifying loss on home soil to arch-rivals Argentina in November. They are sixth in the South American table, the last spot that affords direct qualification.

The Selecao have struggled without their biggest star Neymar, who will be back only after the 2024 Copa America due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee.

“This crisis didn’t appear overnight, there are big and complex problems,” said Edinho, 53, who is one of Pele’s seven children.

“We are experiencing a decline... we still have great players but in previous times we had more high-level players than we do today. There is no doubt, if (Pele) had been there this year, he would have been very sad.”

Edinho grew closer to his father in later life, although he was raised by his mother, who separated from Pele shortly after his move to the United States to play for New York Cosmos in 1975.

Santos, the Brazilian club where Pele spent most of his career, are also going through a tough period after they were relegated to the second division for the first time in their 111-year history.

The club are racked by financial problems and boardroom rifts.

“Unfortunately, this is no surprise. Anyone who has followed the daily life of the club could have anticipated such a scenario, and it has ended up happening,” said Edinho, who was Santos’ goalkeeper for several seasons.

The ceremonies to mark the first anniversary of Pele’s death from cancer at the age of 82 are expected to be low-key.

The six surviving children of the man, widely considered the greatest footballer in history, will hold a virtual meeting to mark the moment, while a ceremony is scheduled to be held at the mausoleum in Santos, which was opened to the public in May.

Edinho, whose life has been far from smooth, having served time for money laundering and drug trafficking, said the loss of the charismatic man who scored 77 goals in 92 appearances for Brazil had left a hole in the family’s life.

“He was exceptional, we miss him a lot,” he said.

“He carried our country’s name through football, which we are very proud of.” AFP