By Maysie Krause | LTVN Reporter/Anchor
Brazilian soccer player Pelé resurrected the meaning of “jogo bonito” — which translates to “beautiful game” — while dominating the world stage. It was all thanks to Brazilian playing style ginga.
For Brazilians, ginga was more than just a type of footwork. It was a way of life. Going back through history, it was developed as a martial art of war to protect African slaves from Portuguese colonizers. Centuries later, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, was taught ginga by his father. In between work, practicing the footwork was like an art form, and they would bounce fruits like mangos back and forth.
Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at age 16, and throughout this initial career, he had to persist through demands to play with a traditional European technique. The coaches said the way he played was “too primitive.”
Like Pelé, many times in life, we are pressured to change because that’s just how it is. But deep down, if you know something works for you, don’t feel pressured to change — whether it be the way that you study, the way that you play or the way that you perform.
In the film “Pelé,” a young Pelé is about to take a train back home because he plays differently than his teammates when his scout approaches him and says, “The ginga is strong in you. You can either show us what happens when you have the courage to embrace who you truly are, or you can get on that train and you will never know.”
And that was enough. The decision was made.
Playing with ginga ultimately won Pelé his first World Cup in 1958. After arriving in Sweden as an unknown 17-year-old for the World Cup finals with Santos, he made a mark on the sport by never compromising a playing style that was once called “too primitive.”
Pelé was the youngest and only player to lead Brazil to three World Cups. He scored 12 goals in World Cup play and tallied over 1,000 goals in first-class matches.
Throughout my years with ballet, I felt a constant pressure to be perfect at something that didn’t always come naturally. Watching the movie “Pelé” and learning about his journey lit up the part of me that used to dance in my living room for my parents and didn’t care what anyone thought. I have found that when I focus on joy rather than external standards and give my best effort, I always achieve better results.
When we let go of perfection and are content with our own hard work, it makes us brilliant.
