He played for several amateur teams in his youth, including Sete de Setembro, Canto do Rio, São Paulinho, and Ameriquinha. Taught to play by his father, he could not afford a proper football and usually played with either a sock stuffed with newspaper and tied with string or a grapefruit. He earned extra money by working in tea shops as a servant. Pelé grew up in poverty in Bauru in the state of São Paulo. In his autobiography released in 2006, Pelé stated he had no idea what the name means, nor did his old friends, and the word has no meaning in Portuguese. He received the nickname "Pelé" during his school days, it is claimed, after mispronouncing the name of his favourite player, Vasco da Gama goalkeeper Bilé. He was originally nicknamed "Dico" by his family. His parents decided to remove the "i" and call him "Edson", but there was a typo on his birth certificate, leading many documents to show his name as "Edison", not "Edson", as he was called. He was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison. He was the elder of two siblings, with brother Zoca also playing for Santos, albeit not as successfully. Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23 October 1940 in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, the son of Fluminense footballer Dondinho (born João Ramos do Nascimento) and Celeste Arantes (born November 1922). Pelé also has a street named after him in the city – Rua Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Throughout his career and in his retirement, Pelé received numerous individual and team awards for his performance on the field, his record-breaking achievements, and his legacy in the sport.Įarly years Pelé's birthplace, Três Corações in Minas Gerais, with his commemorative statue in the city's plaza pictured. His emergence at the 1958 World Cup, where he became a black global sporting star, was a source of inspiration. In Brazil, he was hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football and for his outspoken support of policies that improve the social conditions of the poor. While predominantly a striker, he could also drop deep and take on a playmaking role, providing assists with his vision and passing ability, and he would also use his dribbling skills to go past opponents. In 2010, he was named the honorary president of the New York Cosmos.Īveraging almost a goal per game throughout his career, Pelé was adept at striking the ball with either foot in addition to anticipating his opponents' movements on the field. After retiring in 1977, Pelé was a worldwide ambassador for football and made many acting and commercial ventures. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world. Credited with connecting the phrase " The Beautiful Game" with football, Pelé's "electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals" made him a star around the world, and his teams toured internationally to take full advantage of his popularity. In a golden era for Santos, he led the club to the 19 Copa Libertadores, and to the 19 Intercontinental Cup. At club level, he is Santos's all-time top goalscorer with 643 goals in 659 games. With 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil, Pelé held the record as the national team's top goalscorer for over fifty years. He was nicknamed O Rei (The King) following the 1958 tournament. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 19, the only player to do so and the youngest player to win a World Cup (17). Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record. In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. Edson Arantes do Nascimento ( Brazilian Portuguese: 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé ( Portuguese pronunciation: ), was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.
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