Pele, arguably the best soccer player ever, is also one of the stupidest people to regularly get quoted in the media, so it is not hard to prove him comically wrong.
However, this particular prediction was certainly not stupid. In fact, for a while it looked brilliant:
1978: Right after Pele's prediction, Tunisia becomes the first African team to win a world cup match.
1986: Morocco is the first to make it past the group stage, winning their group no less. They lose the first elimination match.
1990: Cameroon takes it one step further, winning the first elimination match, before losing in the quarter-finals.
1994: Nigeria goes furthest, winning its group, but losing the first elimination match. That's a step back compared to 1990.
1998: Exactly the same as 1994.
2002: Senegal picks up the torch, making it to the quarters, like Cameroon in 1990.
2006: It's now Ghana's turn. They make it to the knockout stage, but lose the first game.
2010: Africa gets to host the world cup for the first time! With traditionally significant home continent advantage and record six African nations taking part, you would expect Africa's best showing ever. Yet most pundits seem to have wised up by now, and very few predict glory for Africa. But many at least predict that Africa will finally improve on its record: either have more than one team make it to the elimination round, or have a team make the semis. Neither happens. Ghana repeats as the only team in the elimination round, this time losing in the quarters.
This is a remarkably poor record for a continent of people with legendary athletic ability, proven both in individual sports, and in team sport success of its emigrants.
1982: Cameroon is the first to go undefeated. They draw all three of their matches and are unlucky not to make it past the group stage.
1986: Morocco is the first to make it past the group stage, winning their group no less. They lose the first elimination match.
1990: Cameroon takes it one step further, winning the first elimination match, before losing in the quarter-finals.
At this point, if the steady improvement were to continue, we would see an African team getting to the semis in 1994, the final in 1998, and finally lifting the trophy in 2002, nearly making Pele's schedule. But as it turned out, Africa had already reached its potential for a long time to come.
1994: Nigeria goes furthest, winning its group, but losing the first elimination match. That's a step back compared to 1990.
1998: Exactly the same as 1994.
2002: Senegal picks up the torch, making it to the quarters, like Cameroon in 1990.
2006: It's now Ghana's turn. They make it to the knockout stage, but lose the first game.
2010: Africa gets to host the world cup for the first time! With traditionally significant home continent advantage and record six African nations taking part, you would expect Africa's best showing ever. Yet most pundits seem to have wised up by now, and very few predict glory for Africa. But many at least predict that Africa will finally improve on its record: either have more than one team make it to the elimination round, or have a team make the semis. Neither happens. Ghana repeats as the only team in the elimination round, this time losing in the quarters.
This is a remarkably poor record for a continent of people with legendary athletic ability, proven both in individual sports, and in team sport success of its emigrants.
The only significant team sport success of an African nation are two World Cup Rugby titles of South Africa, won in 1995 and 2007. But allow a racist observation: there is something a little non-African about those titles, as each of those squads had only one (token?) black, remarkable for a country whose population is less than 10% white.
The most significant showing of a black African national team is Kenya making the semifinals of 2003 Cricket World Cup. But that's a completely bizarre sport, where even India is good.
The most significant showing of a black African national team is Kenya making the semifinals of 2003 Cricket World Cup. But that's a completely bizarre sport, where even India is good.
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