Happy Birthday, Pelé!

In honor of the man Brazilians call “o Rei” (“the King”), who today celebrates his 82nd birthday, I offer my translations of some things he has said.

In 2005, Romário called himself the best player in the world, and Pelé replied:

“Igual a Pelé não tem nem vai ter. Minha mãe me fez e fechou a fábrica.”
There’s no equal to Pelé and there never will be. My mother made me and closed the factory.

In 2002, referring to his birth city in Minas Gerais, after having gone to the ICU due to an allergic reaction:

“Ainda bem que sou um homem de Três Corações. Ainda tenho dois.”
Good thing I’m a man from Three Hearts. I still have two.

In 2005, referring to racist comments in soccer:

“O que eu ouvia me chateava tanto que eu ia lá e arrebentava o time adversário.”
What I was hearing irritated me so much that I would go out and kick the other team’s ass.

In 2006, remembering the day he arrived in Santos, where he played for almost 20 years:

“Eu vi o mar na minha frente e fiquei louco. Entrei na água de sapato e tudo para ver se era salgada mesmo. Era.”
I saw the ocean in front of me and I went crazy. I went into the water with my shoes on and everything to see if was actually salty. It was.

In 2005, explaining that he still dreamt about his time playing for Santos, where Dorval was his teammate for almost a decade.

“Às vezes acordo a minha mulher aos gritos: passa a bola, Dorval!”
Sometimes I wake my wife up screaming: pass the ball, Dorval!