Natalício Neves da Silva — Mestre Pelé da Bomba
25 December 1934 – 26 October 2024

Born on Christmas Day in Cipoá, Governador Mangabeira (Bahia), Natalício Neves da Silva—known to generations as Mestre Pelé da Bomba—grewup with the rhythms of the docks and the streets shaping his game. At twelve he began training with Mestre Bugalho on the ramp of the old Mercado Modelo, a setting that forged his timing, malícia, and the easy charisma that later filled rodas across Bahia.

By 1958 he was recognized as a mestre, and within a year he was invited to teach in the Army (Companhia do QG)—followed later by the Fire Brigade and the Military Police. Pelé carried capoeira from the marketplace to the barracks without losing its soul, treating each class like a roda: a circle of respect, cunning, music, and play.

His presence also became part of Bahia’s cultural record. In 1964, during the Ribeira festivities of Carnival’s second day, he appears in Hilkka Rautavaara’s photos and film, a living snapshot of capoeira’s post-war renaissance. After illness forced a long pause in 1981, Pelé returned roughly two decades later, answering an invitation from the ABCA, reminding everyone that lineage isn’t just a list of names—it’s a way of showing up.

Pelé’s voice and memory traveled further through recordings and print. In 2003 he took part in the album Lenço de Seda – Antologia de Ladainhas e Corridos, and in 2010 he published the book O Pelé da capoeira, leaving a testimony in his own words. He passed on 26 October 2024, but his game remains in Bahia’s songs, in the mandinga of those he taught, and in the round where elegance still meets courage.