Pelé's "Gol Mil" : Celebrating the Milestone goal of Pele That Defined a Football Legend

On the day of November 19, when the world witnessed a broadcast failure because of the Apollo 12 mission, the Brazilians missed a miraculous event of Pele scoring the 1000th goal.

The day and this event looked meant to be as Pele achieved this feat on the day Brazilians were celebrating the anniversary of the national flag, and Pele was celebrating his mother’s birthday. Pele kept the faith of his fans and mother and gave them another reason for celebration. 

What a marvelous player he was, wasn’t he? Helping Brazil win two World Cup trophies and score its 1000th goal, all at the age of 29.

The Journey to the 1000th Goal:

Fate always plays an important role when magical things happen, and in Pele’s case, he failed to score his 1000th goal in Salvador. Pele struck the ball, which touched the crossbar, and came back; then Jail Bala, his teammate, created that goal.

That missed goal stopped the legend from scoring his record goal, and he had to wait until the match against local outfit Vasco de Gama in Rio's mythical Maracana stadium. Everyone was waiting to witness the King adding another feather to his cap. The stadium was filled with 80,000 people who came there to see greatness.

In this match also, Pele was rejected two times from scoring, one by the Argentinian goalkeeper Edgardo Andrada, who diverted his beautiful shot from outside, and then again by the crossbar.

His opponent teased Pele by saying, “You will not score today”. Later on, at the end of the second half, Pele gets a foul. Although, according to him, “the penalty is a loose way to score,” as he wrote in his autobiography,

At this moment, many things happened: opponents came and talked to him to delay the deadline; Pele consoled himself; and finally, a Vasco player came forward with the ball in hand, trampling the penalty spot. Finally, the referee placed the ball on the point. And Pele likes always standing calm, hands on the hips, rushing in the direction.

The goal is still pinned in the hearts of Brazilian fans, and a finish in the bottom right corner, where Pele was running to collect the ball and kiss it, will go down as one of the most memorable moments in history. 

A crowd of photographers and supporters came invading the ground to celebrate the moment with their “King”. Dozens of microphones were trying to record the first words of Pele, who was jumping into their arms one by one. And again carried by his goalkeeper, at last he spoke some words to the media and dedicated his goal “to the poor kids of Brazil.”

The Greatest of All Time:

We might always debate about who is the all-time great in this game, whether it's Messi or Ronaldo, but before them, Pele showed what it takes to be the “GOAT”. 

If we look at the overall stats, it shows that Pele ended his career with 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches. And, in official matches, he is the fourth-all-time scorer with 767 goals in 831 matches. There will always be studies going on to tell his tally of goals, but no one will argue that he was the most impactful player who inspired a generation of young kids to fly high and achieve what they dreamed of.