Pelé scored hundreds of goals. The chance people bring up most often is one he missed.
The 1970 World Cup semi-final against Uruguay ended 3-1 to Brazil, but the moment everyone remembers came from a through ball. Pelé let it run past him without touching it. The dummy sent goalkeeper Mazurkiewicz one way. Pelé went the other, ran around the stranded keeper and collected the ball on the far side.
Then, from a tight angle, he shot just wide of the far post.
How does a miss make a list of great goals?
Fair question, and the honest answer is that this list bends its own rules for Pelé. The dummy was more famous than most goals ever scored at a World Cup. It needed imagination to think of it, confidence to try it in a semi-final and the nerve to run around a goalkeeper who had already committed himself. Almost nobody else would have attempted it.
It is still considered one of the finest pieces of skill in football history, and it sums up how Pelé saw the game: football should be joyful, creative and a little cheeky. Mazurkiewicz, for his part, spent a good few seconds looking at empty grass.
For the record, the details:
- Match: Brazil against Uruguay, 1970 semi-final
- Final score: Brazil 3-1 Uruguay
- The goal: none, the shot went wide
A goal that never happened, and it still makes the top five.
Tomorrow: number 4.
