Pelé Went from Poverty to Football Superstardom贝利：从穷小子到大球星

He was just a boy， only 17. Yet in the World Cup final of 1958 Edson Arantes do Nascimento， better known as Pelé， showed the poise1 and supreme skill that would mark his career. As Brazil led Sweden， the hosts， by two goals to one he received a high pass in the penalty area. With a defender on his shoulder2， he caught the ball on his chest， took one pace3 and flipped the ball high over another defender before running to meet it and driving an unstoppable volley4 low into the net.

他还是个小将，年仅17岁。然而在1958年世界杯决赛中，埃德松·阿兰特斯·多纳西门托（更为人熟知的称呼是贝利）展现出了他职业生涯中标志性的矫健身姿和超凡技巧。当巴西队以二比一领先东道主瑞典队时，他在禁区内接到一记高传球。面对一名后卫的近身紧盯，他挺胸停球，一个加速，把球高高挑过另一名后卫的头顶，然后奔到球前，以一脚势不可挡的凌空抽射，把球低送入网。

Though he said so himself， it was a nice goal. After looping in another5， realising they were about to win the whole tournament， he passed out with emotion on the pitch. He felt he had achieved everything， all his dreams come true—even to a fling with6 a blonde， blue-eyed Swedish girl who was crazy for this little black Crioulo7， as he loved to call himself.

这球进得漂亮，虽然这是他自己的说法，但此言不虚。他穿梭过人梅开二度后，意识到巴西队即将赢得本届冠军，激动得昏倒在球场上。他觉得自己实现了一切目标，所有的梦想都已成真——他甚至一度t0Ty42tYuthqhjDMs0q5Jw==与一个金发碧眼、为这个黑小鬼而着迷的瑞典女孩坠入爱河，他喜欢自称黑小鬼。

This was only the first of three World Cups he won， more than any other player. It might have been four， but in 1966 the Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders kicked him to pieces， the referees didn’t protect him and Brazil， he thought， were badly prepared anyway， so they crashed out8.

他三夺世界杯，次数无人可敌，而这只是第一次。他本来有可能四次捧杯，但在1966年那届，保加利亚队和葡萄牙队的后卫把他踢成重伤，裁判也没有关照他，而巴西队在他看来本就准备不足，于是惨遭淘汰。

Three Argentines—Alfredo Di Stéfano， Diego Maradona and Leo Messi—all had their claims to be the world’s greatest footballer. But he held the world record for goals， 1，279 in 1，363 matches， and that was unlikely to be surpassed. Even a goal he didn’t actually score， against England in the 1970 World Cup， became famous， because few—including him—could work out how Gordon Banks had managed to save it. Ever confident， he had shouted “Goal！” as he launched the header. It was scooped9 over the bar.

三位阿根廷球员——阿尔弗雷多·迪斯蒂法诺、迭戈·马拉多纳和莱奥·梅西——都各有球迷称其为世界上最伟大的足球运动员。但贝利在1363场比赛中打进1279球，保持着进球数的世界纪录，而且这一纪录不太可能打破。就连他在1970年世界杯上对阵英格兰队时没有打进的一粒球也成了名球，因为包括他自己在内，几乎没有人弄得清英格兰门将戈登·班克斯是如何扑救的。一向自信满满的他在头球攻门的同时高喊“进了！”。结果门将把球托出了门梁顶上。

As a forward he was not that tall， but he was strong， fast and had thighs as thick as his waist. He could read the game like a book， and control the ball as if it was drawn to him like a magnet. He could also tell exactly where he was needed， and when， and what the opposition might try to block him. All this seemed to make him a natural captain， but he never wanted that role officially. He would just show the team his best moves， and was happy to provide the killer pass for others to finish.

他身为前锋，个子不算高，但身强体壮、速度迅猛，大腿和腰一样粗。他善于解读比赛形势，仿佛球长在了脚上。他还能准确判断出队友需要自己何时出现在球场的何处，以及对手可能试图怎样阻断他。这一切似乎让他天生就是队长的料，但他从无正式担任队长的念头。他只会向全队展示最佳招式，并乐于传出威胁球，助攻他人踢出临门一脚。

Dribbling10 was his great skill， flummoxing11 defenders with feints12 and sudden stops and starts. He could shoot for goal powerfully with either foot and despite his height， or lack of it， was a spring-heeled header of the ball. He jumped so easily over Tarcisio Burgnich， the Italian marking13 him in the 1970 World Cup final， that Burgnich doubted he was flesh and bone at all. Then he scored the first goal. He knew he was the best player in that tournament and， with the next World Cup four years away， he declared he wouldn’t play any more.

他的拿手好戏是运球，通过假动作和急停急走让对方后卫摸不着头脑。他的左右脚都能大力射门，他尽管个子不高甚至偏矮，却是个长着弹簧腿的头球手。他在1970年世界杯决赛中一跃而起，轻而易举地力压盯防他的意大利球员塔尔奇西奥·布尔尼克，以至于布尔尼克怀疑他根本不是血肉之躯。然后，他甩头顶进了第一粒球。他知道自己是那届世界杯的最佳球员，而下一届世界杯还远在四年之后，他却宣布不会再参加世界杯了。

He retired， he felt， at his best， and before football stopped being fun. His World Cup goal at 17 had been nothing but joy， no nerves， no responsibility， but his thousandth goal， in 1969 from a penalty， was completely different. His legs shook， the whole of the Maracanã stadium was yelling， and he was suddenly crushed by the thought that he， three times world champion， most famous footballer， could not miss this. He had never felt pressure like it.

他觉得自己是在巅峰期急流勇退的，退役再晚就会对足球失去兴趣了。他17岁在世界杯进球的那一刻，心中只有快乐，没有焦虑，没有负担，但1969年他主罚点球，第一千次破门的时候却截然不同。他双腿打颤，整个马拉卡南体育场人声鼎沸，他一想到自己是三届世界冠军、最负盛名的球员，不能罚失这粒点球，心就突然沉重起来。他感受到了前所未有的压力。

Nor had he imagined he would face it. He was born in poverty in a town in the south-west of Minas Gerais state; his great-grandparents had been slaves. His first trainer was his father， a professional footballer whose career at Vasco da Gama was ended early by injury. His mother preferred him to be unhurt and earning proper money. Even a ball was too costly： he played with anything roughly round， socks stuffed with paper， mangoes or a bundle of rags. His lifetime love took root then， and never left him. The nickname “Pelé”， a classmate’s tease14， annoyed him at first （“Edson” was more serious， after Thomas Edison）， but he liked it better when he learnt it meant “miracle” in Hebrew. And miracles followed. At only 15 he was snapped up15 by Santos， his first professional club. Largely because of him it became the best team in the world in the early 1960s， winning two Intercontinental Cups.

他也没有想到自己会面对这种压力。他出生在巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州西南部小镇的贫寒家庭，曾祖辈是奴隶。父亲是他的第一位教练，曾是效力瓦斯科·达伽马俱乐部的职业足球运动员，因伤英年早退。母亲希望他平平安安地好好赚钱。即使是一个足球，对他而言也太过昂贵；任何形似球状的东西他都拿来踢，如塞满纸的袜子、芒果或破布捆成的布球。从此他把毕生的爱好植根于心，从未割舍。“贝利”是同学开玩笑起的绰号，他起初很讨厌（本名“埃德松”更正经，是发明家爱迪生的姓氏变体），但当他得知“贝利”在希伯来语中意为“奇迹”时，他就更爱听别人叫这个绰号了。奇迹随之而来。年仅15岁，他就被自己的第一家职业俱乐部桑托斯捷足先登签下。桑托斯于20世纪60年代初成为世界头号强队，在洲际杯两度夺魁，很大程度上要归功于他。

Several big European clubs begged him to join them： Real Madrid， ac Milan， Bayern Munich. But Santos and Brazil’s government refused a transfer. Besides， life was so nice at Santos that he didn’t want to change， and he went on playing for the club long after he left the international game. He played before football was a global business： half his career was in black and white. In today’s game he would have been a billionaire. As it was， he had a sharp eye for money in deals off the pitch. At 34 he came out of retirement to help launch “soccer” in the United States， joining the New York Cosmos because， he said， Henry Kissinger persuaded him. By 1977， when his tenure ended， he was being called “O Rei”， “The King”—the very name that the playwright Nelson Rodrigues， a towering figure in Brazil， had given him years before when he had first seen him play for Santos.

皇家马德里、AC米兰、拜仁慕尼黑等欧洲几大豪门俱乐部恳请他加盟。但桑托斯和巴西政府不肯让他转会。而且他在桑托斯过得非常惬意，无意换队，在离开国际赛场很久之后仍继续为桑托斯效力。他踢球的时代，足球尚未成为全球产业，他的运动生涯有半数时间身穿桑托斯的黑白战袍。倘若在如今打比赛，他会是亿万富翁。尽管如此，事实上他对绿茵场外的生财之道独具慧眼。34岁，他复出加入纽约宇宙俱乐部，帮助在美国推广“英式足球”，他自称这是因为受到亨利·基辛格的劝说。三年聘期在1977年结束后，他被誉为O Rei，即葡萄牙语的“王者”——这是多年前巴西赫赫有名的剧作家内尔松·罗德里格斯第一次看到他代表桑托斯队出征时给他取的绰号。

His life off the pitch was complicated， with three marriages and at least seven children. Women aside， though， he kept his life simple. He hoped to pass as an ordinary guy at airports， and never used the red diplomatic passport President Lula gave him. His way of winding down16 was to go fishing or to play pião with the wooden top he always carried， spinning it on his palm as long as he could. He was never an activist; just by being himself， he embodied black dignity. And he revelled in17 the beautiful game he played. His one regret was that he had never scored in the World Cup with a bicycle kick18.

他的场外生活并不简单，有过三段婚姻和至少七个孩子。不过撇开女性不谈，他的生活简简单单。他希望以普通人的身份在机场过境通关，从不使用卢拉总统给他的红色外交护照。他的休闲方式是去钓鱼，或者把玩木制陀螺，他总是随身携带陀螺，让它在手掌上旋转得尽量久一些。他没有当过黑人民权活动家，他只要做好自己，就体现了黑人的尊严。这项美妙的运动既是他的事业，也是他的嗜好。他的一个遗憾，是从未在世界杯上用倒挂金钩射门得分。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 poise稳健、优美的姿态；泰然自若、从容沉着的样子。 2 be on one’s shoulder密切监视，严防死守。 3 take a pace迈出一步。 4 volley截击、截踢空中球。 5这一次是贝利胸部卸球，回头观察后卫的位置，然后脚后跟将球传给左路的扎加洛，扎加洛迅速高吊传中，同时贝利前插，跳起来头球破门。

6 源自习语have a fling with，义为“与（萍水相逢者）短暂调情”。 7 crioulo葡萄牙语，特指住在美洲、带有撒哈拉以南非洲血统的黑人。这是带有种族主义色彩的歧视语，现已弃用。 8 crash out（在比赛中）被难堪地淘汰出局。

9 scoop用类似铲子或勺子的工具挖、铲、舀、掏，这里指用手掌扑出。 10 dribble盘带。 11 flummox使……不知所措。 12 feint佯攻，虚晃一枪。 13 mark紧盯住对方球员。

14 tease取笑，嘲弄，揶揄。 15 snap up抢购，率先争夺到手。

16 wind down放松。 17 revel in沉湎于；纵情于。 18 bicycle kick在身体腾空、头下脚上的状态下像蹬自行车一样踢球，是贝利最有特色的个人技巧。