Home

Soccer

Resurfaced Video Showcases Legendary Pele’s Acrobatic Bicycle Kick During 1973 Tonight Show

Published 02/18/2023, 7:30 AM EST

Follow Us

via Imago

It has only been a couple of months since soccer lost one of its biggest legends. On 29th December 2022, Pele took his last breath and closed his eyes forever. Brazil and the entire soccer world wept as they got the news. Pele had an extraordinary career scoring 656 club goals in 700 appearances while scoring 77 goals in 92 matches for his national team.

The Brazilian legend is the only player in the world to have hoisted the prestigious FIFA trophy thrice. He was arguably the greatest of all time and in 1973, he showed America why he is the GOAT.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Pele may have retired from soccer in 1997, but soccer had become a part of the legend’s personality. He served as minister of sports, the first one Brazil ever had from 1995 to 1998. At one point or another, fans and players had to concede the fact that there was no winning against Pele. Of course, not every match was a great showing, but he had an arsenal of skills to pull out impossible shots during tense situations. One such shot was the bicycle kick.

Pele teaches the USA his famous kick

Recently, a video resurfaced on Instagram, which is from the Tonight Show in 1973. Host Johnny Carson welcomed the soccer superstar Pele. He had retired from the Brazil’s international team a couple of years ago, but was a regular player and the backbone of Santos FC. During the show, the soccer master decided to teach the host how to make his famous bicycle kick.

Pele took the ball, tossed it in the air, and hit a perfect kick while falling to the floor. He repeated the process and asked Carson to repeat it. The hesitant and defeated look on Carson’s face led to big laughter from the crowd. He obviously failed to make the kick work, partly because of his lack of actually ever trying it.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Soccer stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Despite Playing 567 Games in 16 Years, This Soccer Icon Never Commuted a Basic Fundamental Mistake

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

He stood up, calling Pele incredible, and would later go on to play for New York Cosmos and retire in 1977. Pele never grew tired of soccer even when he was in hospital in December 2022.

Pele was able to watch the Qatar World Cup

Pele has always praised the little magician from Argentina for his plays. He spoke as if he saw a version of his younger great self in Lionel Messi. Even when his body stopped responding to the chemotherapy and he was hospitalized. Pele kept a close eye on the proceedings of the Qatar World Cup 2022.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch this story: “Cause Man U Terminated His Contract” – Fans Destroy Cristiano Ronaldo on Social Media After Comments From Terminator Star Arnold Schwarzenegger Resurface

His daughter shared images, as Pele would closely watch Argentina keeping everyone on the pitch in check after an unfortunate start against Arabia. He must have witnessed Lionel Messi receiving the holy grail of the trophies one can win in soccer. May the legend, who devoted his life to the beautiful game, rest in peace.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Rishabh Chaudhary

682Articles

One take at a time

Rishabh is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports, coming with a year of experience in digital marketing and 19 years of being a sports fan. Like most people in India, he started by watching cricket and then all sports. He writes poetry and songs in his free time and plays FPS games like Valorant and CSGO.
Show More>

Edited by:

Sreeda U M