Where is the ball?

That June 17th of 1970 was an extremely warm day in Guadalajara, Mexico. Ladislao – nicknamed “Chiquito” (tiny) – Mazurkiewitz, was about to experience the most memorable moment in his long and successful football career. And, in that historical moment, him, probably the best South American goalie of all times, would play a secondary role.

“It is really frustrating; we were up 1-0 and I just received the 1-3. Our dream to get to the final is gone… Why are these Brazilians still hungry? Didn’t they get enough? Oh no! Another loss in the mid-field… Jairzinho gets the ball and tries to dribble, then passes to Tostão. Danger!”

Uruguay was playing Brazil in the semi-finals of the Mexico 70 World Cup. For Brazil this was a chance for catharsis. The country was suffocating under a cruel dictatorship and the memory of the “Maracanaço” was, despite 20 years old, still vivid in the Brazilians hearts and minds. That had been the darkest moment in Brazil’s football history. Uruguay’s victory over “la canarinha” in the 1950 World Cup final played in the Maracanã stadium in Rio.

“Tostão takes the ball, he plays with such elegance, I wish he would be on our side. One, two, three, four strides controlling the play with his eyes… Who is that bullet rushing on his right? Has he seen him?”

The road to Mexico had been eventful for the Brazilian team and their success in the tournament was plagued with doubts. The coach had been replaced weeks prior to the first game and the team leader, Pelé, had been forced to play despite his insistence - after the defeat in England in 66 - of not willing to dress the yellow and green jersey in yet another world cup (his fourth). He had turned just 29 and paradoxically he was felt to be in decadence by the public opinion.

“Tostão passes the ball to the missile, and yes, he is Pelé. Need to go for the ball before he gets to it. Oh no! Where is the ball? And where is Pelé?”

Pelé has just made one of his most famous plays, the Pelé run-around move. Mazurkiewitz did not get the ball, Pelé did neither. The number 10 got first and fooled the keeper by not touching the ball, causing it to roll to the keeper's left, while Pelé went right. Pelé went around the goalkeeper and took a shot while turning towards the goal. This is the play.

Pelé, who was definitely not in decadence, lead that fantastic team, not just by scoring, running and pressing like the youngest, not even by inducing fear in his rivals with his legend but by disrupting with several unique moves, like the run-around one or the shot to goal from the halfway line to Czechoslovakia. The talented but fearful team that had been humiliated in the previous world cup BELIEVED, came back victorious and is still remembered, over half a century later, as one of the best teams the human eye has seen.

Funny enough, neither the one to Uruguay nor the one to Czechoslovakia ended in goal… but did it matter?

At least it did to Mazurkiewitch, “I was happy as it did not end up in goal and that was my main objective throughout my career”.

As a leader, do you bring disruption to motivate the team as Pelé did or do you expect the disruption to come from the team? What is your approach to those bringing disruption?

What are the risks of opting for Pelé’s approach?

Can you pinpoint to leaders around you that use one approach or the other?

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