Teófilo Cubillas and the rest of Pelé’s successors, according to O’Rei himself

Edson Arantes Do Nascimentoknown in football slang as Pele, managed to mark a before and after in the history of world football. Champion with Santos, three-time world champion with Brazil and hundreds of goals at a professional level made the Brazilian attacker be listed as one of the greatest footballers in all of history. For this reason, it was common for talents after him to be named as his heirs.

And it is that, for many, the 82-year-old former footballer He is the best player of all time, surpassing athletes like the Argentines Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona or the Dutchman Johan Cruyff. However, there were several prominent names that were heralded as the new “Pelé” throughout the last century.

Needless to say, the vast majority are Brazilians, but the absence of striker Ronaldo Nazario stands out, who was never compared to “O’Rei”.

Therefore, we present you with a list of those who were classified as Pelé’s successors. The number 5 painted to be his rightful heir!

THEOFILO CUBILLAS

The Peruvian glory and top scorer for the red and white in the World Cups was the first successor of “O’Rei” on the football scene. Reasons were not lacking, because his vast career, both in Alianza Lima and in Porto, made him compare with the Garota legend.

NII LAMPTEY

The former Ghanaian footballer was also pointed out as the great heir to the throne of “O’Rei” thanks to his important performances with Aston Villa of England and Anderlecht of Belgium. However, the pressure increased and he never managed to make the necessary leap to catapult himself as the best player on the planet.

GIOVANI

The first Brazilian on the list and acclaimed by Pelé himself was called Giovanni Silva de Oliveira. With a notable career for clubs such as Barcelona in Spain, Olympiacos in Greece and Santos in Brazil, the man born in 1972 managed to stand out and be compared to the Garota legend.

FREDDY ADU

After his debut at the age of 14 in the MLS, the American managed to mark a milestone in world soccer by being catapulted as the new Pelé. In fact, the Brazilian himself starred in a commercial carrying him on his shoulders and naming him as his successor. Sadly, the pressure played a trick on him and he ended up retiring early in 2018.

robinho

Real Madrid from Spain, Milan from Italy and Santos from Brazil! Lots of elite clubs and a career at the top of world soccer marked Robinho’s career, however, his non-soccer problems, added to his rape complaint, ended up ending a career that he painted for much more.