Pelé’s most beautiful goal was never recorded on camera. For decades, the moment lived only through stories from the people who were there. On August 2, 1959, an 18-year-old Pelé scored for Santos in São Paulo after lifting the ball over three defenders and the goalkeeper, keeping it in the air the entire time before finishing the move. There was no broadcast footage. Only memories, written records, and one photo. Now Google DeepMind has recreated the legendary goal as video, working with Pelé’s family, his estate, historians, eyewitnesses, and thousands of historical references to rebuild the moment as accurately as possible. The team even filmed live action footage at the same stadium, with footballers wearing period-accurate kits, before using AI tools like Veo and Gemini to bring Pelé’s movement, likeness, and number 10 shirt back into the scene. It is now being shown at the Pelé Museum in Santos. AI is usually used to imagine the future. This time, it brought back a piece of...