beautiful game 🎯

The beautiful game is a nickname for association football. It was popularised by Brazilian footballer Pelé, who played from 1957 to 1977. It was a term widely used in Brazil, though the exact origin of the phrase is disputed. Stuart Hall, an English football commentator, used it in 1958. Hall admired Peter Doherty when he went to see Manchester City play at Maine Road and used the term the beautiful game to describe football as a whole. During his career, the Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho was an exponent of the jogo bonito style of play. Although made famous around the world, the phrase jogo bonito in Brazil has been replaced with futebol-arte which means the same.