Pele summed up Brazil's famous 'Ginga' style perfectly by explaining that "the head talks to the heart and the heart talks to the feet". It is a description that captures the spellbinding way the legendary forward played the game, especially during his unforgettable performances at the 1970 World Cup.
England have also produced several thrilling attacking players who entertained crowds with their flair. Stanley Matthews was among the most graceful dribblers the sport has seen and was a footballer Pele insisted "taught us how football should be played".
Paul Gascoigne, John Barnes and Bobby Charlton were other England stars capable of lighting up a match with the ball at their feet. However, Pele believed one Englishman in particular possessed Brazilian-style flair, while also suggesting he needed to look to Ronaldinho as an example of how to use those skills at the right moments.
Pele On Brazilian-esque England Star
Pele during a press conference
Pele frequently made clear how much he admired the Premier League and claimed in 2016 that it was the "most important" league in the world. By then, England's top division had fully grown into the global force fans recognise today, attracting the biggest audience of any league around the world.
A host of household names played their part in reshaping English football, including Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney and Kevin De Bruyne. There were also other gifted players who made a major impact during the "Barclays" era, particularly those operating in wide attacking roles.
Pele watched a number of Premier League matches in person before his death on December 29, 2022. The king of football was at Stamford Bridge in January 2006, where one Chelsea player stood out to him against Charlton Athletic. He told Sky Sports:
"The Number 10 for Chelsea, Joe Cole, is a very good player and when I saw him against Charlton he was excellent in the first half."
Chelsea led 1-0 at the interval thanks to Eidur Gudjohnsen's opening goal, but Joe Cole was the player who had really captured Pele's attention. The London-born forward was midway through the third of his seven seasons at Stamford Bridge, and it proved to be the strongest campaign of his Chelsea career.
Cole played a starring role in Jose Mourinho's side as they retained the Premier League title, while he was also named Chelsea's Player of the Year. He had a remarkable range of tricks, but Pele warned that he had to use them wisely:
"He has the skills of a Brazilian but he needs to learn when to show the skills and when to play the simple game."
Chelsea eventually drew 1-1 with Charlton after Ricardo Carvalho was sent off, and Pele believed Cole almost cost his team the result:
"In the second half, when the game was very close, he kept losing the ball because he was trying too hard and Chelsea nearly lost the game... The tricks are fine at 3-0 or 4-0 but not at 0-0 or 1-1. That's why Ronaldinho is so good - he knows when to do the tricks and when to keep it simple."
Those eye-catching displays across the 2005-06 season helped Cole earn a place in England's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was one of the Three Lions' brighter performers in Germany, scoring a spectacular volley against Sweden, although that moment ultimately proved to be the peak of a slightly underwhelming international career.
Hasselbaink: Cole Wasn't Appreciated Enough in England
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink shared a Chelsea dressing room with Cole for a year as his own time at Stamford Bridge was entering its final stages. The Dutch striker saw the English playmaker's creativity first-hand and felt he deserved far more appreciation in his home country.
He told Sky Sports in November 2018 when Cole announced his retirement aged 37:
"I would have liked to have seen him playing more in England. I don't think we appreciated him enough and now you are gagging for a player like him, to have that kind of creativity. You are missing somebody like him."
Joe Cole's Career
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Cole's only spell as a regular starter at a major international tournament came at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Outside of that competition, he was often left among the substitutes and used only sparingly across many of his 56 England appearances.
The former West Ham United favourite still had an excellent career, but injuries repeatedly disrupted his progress and may have stopped him from fully reaching his ceiling. Hasselbaink's argument that England were "missing" a player of Cole's type rang true for several years, although exciting talents such as Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers have since come through.
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