India, May 21 -- Every World Cup arrives with the promise of a new defining image. The 2026 edition will be no different. Across the United States, Mexico and Canada, another teenager may announce himself, another great team may find its peak, and another final may produce the kind of moment that survives long after the scoreline fades.

That is why the old World Cup memories return before every new tournament. They are the standard against which the next generation is measured. Very few stories sit higher in that memory than Pele's journey with Brazil, which began with a 17-year-old changing the sport in 1958 and ended with the same player helping Brazil keep the Jules Rimet Trophy forever in 1970.

Brazil arrived at the 1958 World Cup w...