The title is Birth of a Legend: Bailey, so where is his legend? In the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, Pele scored the only goal in the quarter-finals, scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals, and scored two goals in the final to win the championship. At only 17 years old, he created the youngest record for participating in the World Cup finals and scoring goals. Then he helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1962 and 1970, and is the only player to win the World Cup three times. In his career, he played 1366 games and scored 1283 goals, which is eye-popping. Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, etc. have all called him the best in history and a generation of football champions. This is the legend of Bailey. And the President of Brazil hailed him as a national treasure, I think it's more because of his greatness. I'll get to that later.
The main contradiction in the plot of this film is directly reflected in the conflict between the Brazilian Renga kick and the European kick, which extends to whether to choose to be the real self or just live in the eyes of others. Jenga kicking is a unique way of playing football for Brazilians. It is a culture that integrates janga dance and football. It reflects Brazilians' own views on football and represents happiness. However, in the 1958 World Cup, Brazil, as the host, was defeated 2:1 by Uruguay, which directly changed the Brazilian's attitude towards Renjia's playing method. The Renjia kicking method engraved in the bone marrow has been reduced to an unpopular street wild skill. The "direct, practical, and fast" European kicking method is the orthodox, and the shadow of inferiority is shrouded in the hearts of every Brazilian. Especially in the play, Mr. Joseph, who laughed at Bailey when he was a teenager, proudly said that he had received Italian training since he was a child, and he packaged himself as a European player, and even changed his name to "Mazzola" - an Italian Forward's name. This is cultural insecurity. Bailey and his father first pointed out the theme of the movie in a conversation with his father: "If you want to be a professional football player, you have to accept the truest version of yourself." (if you wanna play pofessionally, you can't be ashamed of who you are.) All the Brazilian coaches (including the Brazilian president) are questioning the way of playing, and Pele thinks that it is not the problem of playing that is wrong, but that their questioning is wrong. When Pele stood on the pitch playing European style, he was at a loss; when he played Jenga, he felt like a duck to water. Isn't it the same in life? When you focus and obey your heart, you will be more confident, calm, and live a more dashing and successful life; and when you only care about other people's eyes, you will become a joke of life.  The picture shows Bailey himself making a cameo. In the final, Bailey and his teammates gave a wonderful performance with Renjia kicking method, conquering the fans all over the world. It was not so much a World Cup winner as it was a redemption for the Brazilians, who proved themselves with facts and gained cultural confidence. Since then, the Renjia kicking method has become popular all over the world, and the Brazilian football dynasty has officially arrived. This is Bailey's greatness. France's victory in the 2018 World Cup in Russia means another victory for "utilitarian" football. How much I miss the eye-opening performances and the boiling art of football on the World Cup stage, which is now greatly reduced in viewing.
First published on Zhihu: Chasing Far
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