12 Friday, October 23, 2020 Sports ‘Thank you Brazil’: Football legend Pele still laughing as he turns 80

AFP “The King” has only one Sao Paulo kidney, after a broken rib dur- ing a match forced doctors to Considered by many to Thank you to Brazil and all remove the other. be the greatest footballer of Brazilians. I was always very He has also suffered a se- all time, Pele will celebrate ries of hip problems, forcing his 80th birthday Friday, happy wearing this jersey. him to use a walker. confined to his home in Bra- Thank you for all your warm Earlier this year, his son zil because of COVID-19 but wishes for my birthday,” Pele Edinho said health problems meeting the milestone with wrote on Instagram, posted had left his father depressed his trademark laugh. with a photo of himself and reclusive. “The King” has suffered “Just imagine, he’s the from a series of health prob- celebrating one of his 1,281 ‘King,’ he was always such an lems in recent years, but has goals. imposing figure, and now he not lost his charisma or sense - Pele can’t walk normally,” he said. of humour. Pele quickly reassured fans “I’m fine, it’s just I won’t Men make a selfie with a mural by Brazilian artist Kobra depicting that he was fine. be able to play” on his birth- street artist Kobra in Santos, Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as “I have good days and oth- day, he joked this week in a the city where Pele started his Pele, in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on Tuesday. The work, called ‘Coracao ers that are less good. That’s video conversation with the professional career as a 15-year- Santista’ (Santos’ Heart), was finished days ahead of the 80th birthday normal for someone my age,” head of the Brazilian Football old prodigy in 1955. A file photo of Pele during a presentation.( AFP) of Pele. (AFP) he said. Confederation. Pele also recorded a song Pele said he was happy The only player in his- with Grammy-winning Mexi- 1,281 goals. Whether captured His legacy looms so large son Arantes do Nascimento – of hospital in recent years for for his good mental health in tory to win three World Cups can duo Rodrigo and Gabriela, in grainy black and white early that FIFA named him the great- Pele’s real name – has grown various health issues. a video sent to the media (1958, 1962 and 1970), Pele billed as “a little birthday pre- in his career, or with his yellow est footballer of the 20th cen- increasingly frail with age. Last year he was rushed on Tuesday. plans to celebrate his birthday sent for his fans and himself.” and green number 10 Brazil tury in 2000, alongside Argen- His public appearances to the hospital for kidney “I thank God for giving me quietly – as he does almost “Thank you to Brazil and jersey flitting across the screen tina’s Diego Maradona -- who had become rare even before problems after traveling to the health to make it this far every year, he says, coronavi- all Brazilians. I was always in the era of color TV, many of celebrates his 60th birthday on the pandemic confined him Paris for a promotional ap- lucid. Not very intelligent, but rus pandemic or not. very happy wearing this jersey. those goals were spectacular October 30. at home in Brazil, where Cov- pearance with French star lucid,” he joked. But several tributes are Thank you for all your warm displays of athletic prowess, id-19 has now claimed 155,000 Kylian Mbappe. “I hope when I die God will planned in Brazil, from an ex- wishes for my birthday,” he setting the standard for the Health scares lives, the second-highest death In 2014, he was placed in welcome me the same way I’ve hibit in his honor at the Sao wrote on Wednesday on Ins- “jogo bonito,” or “beautiful Born October 23, 1940, toll in the world after the intensive care for dialysis after been welcomed all over the Paulo Football Museum to a tagram, posted with a photo of game,” that would come to de- in the city of Tres Coracoes United States. contracting a severe urinary world because of our beloved mural designed by renowned himself celebrating one of his fine Brazilian football. in southeastern Brazil, Ed- Pele has been in and out infection. football,” he added. Klopp hails spirit as Liverpool show Bayern begin title they can cope without Van Dijk defence in style AFP a big lift for Liverpool, who won AFP Szoboszlai to crash in a bril- Amsterdam for the first time in three games Paris liant equaliser. despite also being without de- A deflected Zlatko Junu- Jurgen Klopp saluted Liv- fender Joel Matip and midfield- Bayern Munich began their zovic goal put the hosts in erpool’s fighting spirit as the er Thiago Alcantara after the defence of the Champions front, but Vitali Lisakovich Reds proved they can cope brutal Merseyside derby. League title in ominous fash- headed in to earn the Russian without Virgil van Dijk by “I think both teams could ion by crushing Atletico Ma- side a point. grinding out a 1-0 win at Ajax play better football. At mo- drid 4-0 on Wednesday, while in the opening game of their ments it was wild. The pitch was Liverpool and Manchester City Disastrous night for Real Champions League campaign deep and muddy,” Klopp said. also won but Real Madrid suf- Real were 3-0 down at on Wednesday. “Xherdan Shaqiri was lively fered a shock defeat. half-time against Shakhtar Klopp’s side are likely to and Takumi Minamino was un- Madrid, the record 13- at the Alfredo di Stefano sta- be without Van Dijk for the believable. He is like a machine. time European champi- dium and fell short with a rest of the season after the It helps when you can make five ons, went down to a 3-2 second-half fightback to get influential Dutch centre-back substitutions.” home loss against Shakhtar their European campaign off suffered anterior cruciate lig- Praising Fabinho for an Donetsk, showing how far to a disastrous start. ament damage against Ever- acrobatic goalline clearance, Zinedine Zidane’s side are “We lacked a bit of every- ton last weekend. Klopp added: “I didn’t know just now from the standards thing, but above all our confi- Critics have claimed Liver- how it happened in the begin- being set by Bayern. dence, which is the most im- pool will struggle without Van ning. That’s a good example of Two months after scor- portant thing,” said Zidane. Dijk, but Brazilian midfielder how the boys did today.” ing the winner in the final Real are already up Fabinho filled in impressively against Paris Saint-Germain against it in Group B, even if alongside Joe Gomez at the Backs to the wall in Lisbon, Kingsley Coman put rivals Inter Milan and Borus- heart of the defence. Liverpool’s makeshift de- Bayern ahead against Atletico sia Moenchengladbach can- While Liverpool weren’t at fence was easily carved open in Group A and later scored a celled each other out in a 2-2 their best and rode their luck at early on when Quincy Promes stunning individual effort to draw at San Siro. times, never more so than when advanced down the left and wrap up the victory at an emp- Romelu Lukaku scored Nicolas Tagliafico diverted Sa- found Dusan Tadic, who set up ty Allianz Arena. twice for Inter, opening the dio Mane’s scuffed effort into Ryan Gravenberch for a fierce In between Leon Gore- Bayern Munich’s French forward Kingsley Coman (centre) celebrates scoring the fourth goal with his teamates scoring early in the second his own net in the first half, it strike that flashed just wide. tzka and Corentin Tolisso during the UEFA Champions League Group A match against Atletico Madrid in Munich on Wednesday. (AFP) half and then turning in a late was an encouraging Group D There was another ma- were also on target for the equaliser. opener for Klopp. jor scare as David Neres’ pass German champions, with the tor, but it’s in the past now and win while the result for Atleti- who battled back to draw In between Ramy Bense- There was enough spirit found the unmarked Promes latter’s strike a stunner from we have fresh goals this sea- co equalled their worst defeat 2-2 at Red Bull Salzburg on baini netted a penalty for about the 2019 Champions six yards from goal, but he shot long-range. son,” Coman told Sky Sports. under Diego Simeone. Wednesday. Gladbach and Jonas Hofmann League winners to suggest straight at Adrian to let Liver- “The winning goal in last It was Bayern’s 12th con- Bayern next go to Russia Eder put Lokomotiv ahead scored what he thought was a they will use the Van Dijk pool off the hook. season’s final is a good motiva- secutive Champions League to play Lokomotiv Moscow, in Austria, only for Dominik late winner. blow to fuel their Premier Making the most of that League title defence and Eu- escape, Liverpool took the ropean challenge. lead in bizarre fashion in the “It was not perfect but they 35th minute. Virus-hit Raja’s CAF About 10,000 fans fought brilliantly,” Klopp said. Mane eluded Perr Schuurs “We did not take our chances, as he broke into the Ajax area CL semi-final in England hope Ford ‘back allowed at Chinese which was a shame, and Ajax but when the Senegal forward Cairo postponed had a big one which hit the post. went to shoot, he stubbed his football final “When you’re 1-0 up, these foot into the turf, sending a mis- AFP soon’ as Barbarians await AFP things can happen. But overall cued effort towards Tagliafico, Cairo Suzhou I’m happy with the game. who lost his balance and prod- AFP “It was not sunshine foot- ded the ball into his own net un- Raja’s CAF Champions London About 10,000 supporters ball but we wanted three points der no pressure. League semi-final second leg could be allowed at each leg of and we got it.” Klopp has been fostering a against Zamalek in Egypt on George Ford is set to be the Chinese Super League final Van Dijk will need knee siege mentality among his play- Saturday has had to be post- back in England action “pretty next month, a top football of- surgery after being pole-axed ers since the Everton game and poned after eight of the Moroc- soon”, assistant coach John ficial said, as spectators return by Everton keeper Jordan Pick- their backs to the wall spirit was can club’s players tested posi- Mitchell said Thursday. to China’s stadiums despite the ford’s ugly foul and his injury on full display when Fabinho tive for coronavirus. Doubts, however, remain lingering coronavirus threat. came at a time when Liverpool raced back to clear Tadic’s lob Raja, who lost the home leg over whether he will be fit to Football across the world is looked vulnerable after losing off the line with a superb over- 1-0, will now play the second face Italy in the Six Nations at grappling with how to readmit 7-2 at Aston Villa before the in- head kick. leg at Cairo’s International Sta- the end of the month. crowds while preventing infec- ternational break. Van Dijk couldn’t have done dium on November 1, the Con- The fly-half withdrew from tions, with the English Premier Against that backdrop, it better himself, but while Fa- federation of African Football the squad that plays the Bar- League among the high-profile keeping a clean-sheet for just binho was impressing, Ajax still announced on Thursday. barians at Twickenham on competitions still taking place the third time this season was carried a threat. CAF in a statement said Sunday, with what the Rugby behind closed doors. they were notified on Tuesday Football Union said was a The coronavirus emerged about eight Covid-19 cases in “pre-existing Achilles issue”. England’s coach Eddie Jones throws a frisbee as he attends an in China late last year but the the Raja squad and the team’s That left the experienced England rugby training session at the Lensbury Hotel in Teddington, country has successfully cur- subsequent quarantine “until Owen Farrell and Piers Francis London, on Thursday ahead of their match against Barbarians tailed the number of local infec- October 27”. as the only capped stand-offs at Twickenham. (AFP) tions, allowing football fans to “Given this situation CAF available to England coach Ed- begin returning to matches in has agreed to delay the semi- die Jones this weekend. back and in preparation pret- ing in the Premiership final limited numbers. final return leg between Zama- Saturday’s match is a non- ty soon, but it’s important to on Saturday when Wasps were The postponed CSL began lek and Raja until November 1,” cap international but of greater manage these guys so we get given the all-clear following in July without spectators but CAF confirmed. concern is whether Ford will them back at 100 percent. several positive tests for the there were about 3,000 fans The other semi-final second be ready to return for next “We’re aware of the injury coronavirus. on Saturday for a 2-2 draw be- leg between Al Ahly and Wydad weekend’s Six Nations fixture and we’re managing it. At the Mitchell, however, sug- tween title contenders Beijing Casablanca goes ahead - Al Ahly in Italy. moment he’s in a position of gested it may be too soon to Guoan and Shandong Luneng won the first leg 2-0 - with the Mitchell was guarded about rehabbing and reconditioning ask the Bristol contingent to in Suzhou. final maintained for its original the Leicester back’s progress and we’ll take the next step post play this weekend. The title will be decided over date of November 6. but did not rule him out of the getting through that period.” “We’ve got a group here two legs, on November 8 and Raja’s virus outbreak was trip to Rome on October 31. England have added the now three weeks in advance in 12, in Suzhou, near Shanghai. Liverpool’s German coach Jurgen Klopp (centre) celebrates with put down to celebrations this “Fordy has got a slight an- Bristol trio of Kyle Sinckler, terms of high-speed running “Going to the final, I would Liverpool’s English defender Rhys Williams after winning the UEFA month after they became Mo- kle problem that’s obviously Ben Earl and Max Malins to and the way we go about our say... 10,000-ish (fans),” Chi- Champions League Group D match against Ajax Amsterdam at the roccan champions for the first being managed,” said Mitchell. their group after the Bears training and methodology,” nese Football Association sec- Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on Wednesday. (AFP) time in seven years. “Clearly we expect him were ruled out of participat- the New Zealander said. retary-general Liu Yi told AFP.