Pele was football's ultimate fox in the box, a player who dealt in quantity as much as quality, whose eye-popping career statistics alone marked him out as one of the greats.
Footage is scarce of peak Pele, the player who emerged as a teenage sensation in the late 1950s and shone on the world stage for almost 15 years. That which is available shows a nimble forward with a devastating finish.
The Brazil great became as globally revered as The Beatles and Muhammad Ali, who became peers of his, and Pele's death at the age of 82 has sent a shudder through the sporting world.
Those who saw him in action speak of a player who took football to a new level, leaving tormented defences in his wake as he set record after record.
Here, Stats Perform has picked out five games that underlined the greatness of the man born Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
1958: World Cup semi-final, Brazil 5-2 France
The World Cup would never be the same after the 17-year-old Pele took the tournament in Sweden by storm.
He hit a hat-trick in the semi-final against France, feeding off scraps for his first two strikes, both of which came from close range, before rattling in a stunning third.
Pele took a pass in his stride on the edge of the penalty area, and as the ball looped up he sent a rasping strike from 18 yards into the bottom-left corner.
He would hit seven hat-tricks for Brazil across his career, but this was the first, carrying the Selecao through to a clash with the hosts.
1958: World Cup final, Brazil 5-2 Sweden
After the semi-final heroics, it turned out that Pele had a pretty good encore to come.
Vava's first-half double put Brazil 2-1 ahead, but the final will be largely remembered for Pele's majestic strike that increased that lead early in the second half, when he flicked the ball over a defender at close quarters in the penalty area before volleying past goalkeeper Kalle Svensson. It was pure artistry, a teenage master at work.
It made Pele the youngest scorer in a World Cup final, at 17 years and 249 days old, and for good measure the teenager put the seal on victory with a late header, completing a double for a tournament haul of six goals.
Just Fontaine's incredible haul of 13 goals for France made him the top scorer, but Pele took the plaudits and Brazil savoured a first World Cup triumph.
1962: Intercontinental Cup final, second leg, Benfica 2-5 Santos
Injury cruelly meant Pele only played a small role in Brazil's successful World Cup defence, but three months down the line, in September and October 1962, he served up a dish of his world-beating best.
A clinical double at home in the first leg gave Santos a 3-2 advantage against Benfica in the Intercontinental Cup, a clash of the reigning Copa Libertadores and European Cup champions.
Pele saved his best for the second leg in Lisbon, grabbing a hat-trick against a Benfica defence who had little answer to his dribbling, pace and power. At the other end of the field, Eusebio could not match Pele.
Benfica goalkeeper Costa Pereira accounted for the 5-2 drubbing at the Estadio da Luz by lauding the prowess of the chief tormentor, saying he had been "undone by someone who was not born on the same planet as the rest of us".
Team-mate Antonio Simoes told Portuguese publication Sol in 2022: "Even today, when people ask me who is the best player I have seen in my entire life, I answer that it is Pele. I've never seen anyone do things like he did. I was dazzled. Benfica was the best team in Europe. But Santos was the best in the world."
1963, Roca Cup, second leg, Brazil 5-2 Argentina
Pele fired another hat-trick as Brazil retained the Roca Cup with a statement victory in Rio.
This was a competition contested sporadically by the great South American rivals, and a 3-2 win for Argentina at the Morumbi stadium in Sao Paulo had given them the edge heading into the second leg at the sprawling Maracana.
Reports said a crowd of around 130,000 attended the game, and Pele came up trumps with a hat-trick, including two penalties after he was felled each time.
Pele had made his Brazil debut against Argentina six years previously in an earlier Roca Cup clash, and now into his early twenties he remained the star man for the two-time world champions.
Brazil's 4-1 lead after 90 minutes meant they were ahead on aggregate, but curiously the game still went to extra time, with both sides having a win apiece, with the overall score only counting after they split the extra period 1-1.
1970: World Cup final, Brazil 4-1 Italy
Injury scuppered Pele's hopes of making an impact at the 1966 World Cup in England, but four years later he was back and eager to help Brazil reclaim the Jules Rimet Trophy.
The crowning moment of his career and this golden age of Brazilian football would come at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with Pele to the forefront in a thumping win over the Azzurri.
Brazil won every game they played at this World Cup, including a group-stage victory over defending champions England, while Italy knocked out West Germany in the semi-finals.
Come the title match, Pele headed the opener for Brazil, climbing astonishingly high at the far post, and he later nodded the ball down for Jairzinho to plunder their third.
Brazil's piece de resistance in the final was Carlos Alberto's majestic strike that put the seal on the win, with an exceptional team move climaxing with Pele almost casually laying the ball into the path of the captain who thundered a shot past Enrico Albertosi.
Pele would never play another World Cup game, and he could hardly have gone out on a greater high.
Simeone: Atletico energised by Gallagher and Alvarez
The arrivals of Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez have energised Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone said on Sunday.
Gallagher, who joined this summer from Premier League side Chelsea, scored his first LaLiga goal in Sunday's 3-0 home win over Valencia, opening the scoring in the first half.
He is now just the third youngest English goalscorer in the Spanish top-flight (24 years and 222 days), after Jude Bellingham and Mason Greenwood.
"He came with a lot of enthusiasm, and we needed that kind of player in the midfield because he makes us better," Simeone told a news conference.
"He does not stop giving his best in every game situation in which he participates."
Another new signing, Alvarez, scored in the 93rd minute, also his first goal in the Spanish top flight since joining from Manchester City.
He became the 14th Argentina player to score for Atletico in LaLiga this century.
"We all needed him to score a goal, for him to be more relaxed, to be connected to what he likes... hopefully the goal will be the first of many," the manager added.
"I imagine that he lives for the goal and the enthusiasm to generate this type of situation. Today he appeared as he always does at the least expected moment at the end of the game when hope seems to be fading and, luckily, he scored."
The Atletico boss added that the strengthened squad, which includes new signings such as Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth, is gelling very well and that allows them to compete at the level they want to.
Inzaghi rues missed opportunities in late draw
Simone Inzaghi was left frustrated as Inter failed to capitalise on their opportunities, needing to come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Monza.
Dany Mota gave Monza the lead in the 81st minute, while Denzel Dumfries spared the champions' blushes by netting the equaliser seven minutes later.
They were knocked off the Serie A summit after dropping points for the second time this season, with Napoli leapfrogging them to the top of the table.
"We had difficulties against a team that played a good defensive game," Inzaghi told a press conference. "We had chances that we didn't convert, we made technical mistakes.
"Then in the second half, we didn't do well, we didn't create dangerous situations, and when we switched to three [up front], we had this great goal from Dany Mota that created difficulties for us."
Inter intensified their efforts after going behind, but time was not on their side as they tried to wrap up three points. Overall, the visitors managed 16 shots but only got two of those on target in a wasteful performance.
"We had a great reaction after the goal, maybe we should have had it earlier," Inzaghi added.
"We had a couple of situations that weren't exactly clear, usually we manage to capitalize on them. In games like this, you have to try to unlock the result... If you stay tied and concede goals, games become difficult."
Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez had an early chance to put Inter in front but sent his header slightly above the bar.
Last season's Serie A top scorer, who finished the campaign with 24 goals, remains goalless in Serie A so far.
"He had a little problem, he couldn't train a lot," Inzaghi said.
"The attack was the only department where I had one player, [Joaquin] Correa, in the last 10 days [in training]. We thought we would find the goal sooner.
"The team was a bit slow but until [conceding] the goal [Yann] Sommer had no work. But you accept a goal like that more than the ones we conceded on the first match day, even tonight overall defensively we did well."
Inter drew 2-2 at Genoa in their season opener, before consecutive home wins against Lecce and Atalanta, in which they kept a clean sheet in both.
They get their Champions League campaign underway when they travel to Manchester City on Wednesday.
"I'm quite calm," Inzaghi assured. "I have all the players available, and this new Champions League is something new for all of us coaches.
"It's the first year [of the new format], there are two more games without the usual group. We'll have to try to do our best, any opponent we find in the Champions League is difficult."
Flick hails 'outstanding' Yamal after Girona double
Hansi Flick heaped praise on Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal after he scored a double to help the LaLiga leaders earn a 4-1 victory at Girona on Sunday.
Yamal, who grabbed the spotlight as he helped Spain win their fourth European Championship title in July, scored twice in seven first-half minutes to put them in control.
Dani Olmo and Pedri then secured the win before Cristhian Stuani's consolation and Ferran Torres' late sending-off for a reckless challenge.
Barcelona maintained their unbeaten start to the season, getting their fifth consecutive win at the start of Flick's tenure.
"I'm very happy about Lamine's two goals, he's very young, but he's really incredible, a difference maker at such a young age," Flick told Movistar Plus.
"Having him is key for us not only because of his quality, but he also presses very well high. He combines talent and pressure and that's massive for us. He is outstanding.
"It was a tough game. Girona played well, but we started very well too, and we deserved to win."
Flick's Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 15 points, four ahead of Real Madrid and Villarreal. Last year's surprise package, Girona, are seventh with seven points.
Barca avenged their two losses to Girona last season, both by a 4-2 result.
It was a dominant performance by the Catalan giants, whose relentless high press was too much for their opponents to handle as they had 20 shots (nine on target), outperforming their 1.82 expected goals.
Now, Barcelona will hope to carry their domestic momentum into the Champions League, where they will face Monaco away on Thursday.
"We have trained very hard for this, and we need to keep going. This last week we have prepared well, but we do it for every game we play because we always want to win, we are in a good moment, and we can't stop," Flick added.
"It won't be easy against Monaco, but we're taking it one game at a time, and we're really excited. We're all looking forward to it."
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