I am not a football fan but back in the late
sixties and early seventies I was an avid follower of the game. At
that time, two of the top overseas footballers were two Portuguese
speaking strikers, one from Portugal and one from Brazil.
The Portuguese player was
Eusébio, full name Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (1942–2014).
Nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl"
or "The King" ("O Rei") he is considered to be
one of the greatest players of all time and Benfica's best player
ever. He was known for his speed, technique, athleticism and
right-footed shot, making him a prolific goalscorer, accumulating 733
goals in 745 matches. He helped Portugal to third place in the1966
World Cup, being the top goalscorer of the tournament with nine
goals.
Also
nicknamed “The King”, the Brazilian was known as Pelé, although
his actual name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022). Pelé
was a nickname based on his young mispronunciation of the name of
another player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in
history, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures
of his century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendlies,
is recognised as a Guinness World Record. In 1999, the International
Olympic Committee named him Athlete of the Century and Time
put him on their list of the 100 most important people of the 20th
century. In 2000, the International Federation of Football History &
Statistics voted him World Player of the Century and he was made,
with Maradona, joint FIFA Player of the Century.
One
of the interesting and more obscure things about these men is that
their names are in the Bible. That is to say, in the New Testament
you will find the Greek original of Eusébio, Eusebios,
and in the Old Testament you will find a Hebrew word remarkably like
the word Pelé.
The
name Eusébio or Eusebeo
means to be pious or devout. It is made up of the short adjective eu
or
good and the verb sebesthai
which
means to honour or respect. In its different forms the word occurs
about six times and is translated devout or godly and can mean to
serve God or to worship him.
So
in Acts (10:2, 7) we read that Cornelius was devout,
as was Ananias who helped Paul when he was first converted (22:12).
In 2 Peter 2:9 Peter tells us that the
Lord knows how to rescue the
godly from
trials. In 1 Timothy 5:4 Paul says that the children or grandchildren
of widows first learn to
show godliness to
(or
put their faith or religion into practice with)
their own household and to make some return to their parents. In Acts
17;23 Paul tells the Athenians that he is proclaiming to them a God
they worship
as unknown.
So if and when you come across the
name Eusébio, it may call to mind the way the New Testament uses
related words and set you thinking of the importance of devotion,
worship and putting your faith into practice.
As
for the name Pelé or Pele, this appears in the Hebrew Old Testament
some 13 times, most often to refer to wonders
or
marvellous things God
has done. See Exodus 15:11, Isaiah 25:1 and 29:14, Daniel 12:6 and
several places in the Psalms (77, 11, 14; 78:12; 88:10, 12; 89:5). In
Psalm 119:129 David refers to God's Word as wonderful
using
this word. More unusual is Lamentations 1:9 where it says that Israel
has fallen wonderfully or her fall has been a wonder. Modern versions
sat it was tragic, terrible, amazing or astounding. Perhaps the most
astounding pele
verse
is Isaiah 9:6 where we read For
to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will
be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The
wonderful
of
the first title is that word pele.
So
again if and when you come across the name Pelé, it may call to mind
the way the Old Testament uses this word pele
and set you thinking of God's Wonders and especially of Jesus Christ
the wonderful counsellor.
As for Johan Cruyff, the surname at
least is nowhere to be found in our Bibles.
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