Soccer Greats: Pelè

Pelè is a former Brazilian player, a national hero, a soccer legend, and the greatest soccer player of all time. Pelè’s story is truly a tale of rags to riches.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born October 23, 1940, in Três Corações, Brazil. He practiced soccer when he was young with a stuffed sock ball because he couldn’t afford a real soccer ball. Edson received the nickname Pelè in grade school due to his mispronunciation of his favorite goalie Bilé.

After a season in the Santos FC junior team, Pelè joined their senior team a month before he reached 16. Pelè’s career in Santos spanned 18 years. Over those 18 years, Pelè took the team to numerous honors. The club honors include Campeonato Paulista (10 times), Torneio Rio-São Paulo (3), Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (1968), Taça Brasil (5 times), Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup (both on 1962 and 1963), South American Recopa (1968), and Recopa Intercontinental (1968).

Pelè’s reputation with his national team was just as bright, if not brighter. A year after joining Santos, he joined the Brazil national team and helped Brazil win the 1958 World Cup. He became the youngest player of the tournament, youngest World Cup goal scorer ever, and the youngest player to ever win the World Cup, at only 17 years of age. Pelè took the team to the next World Cup in 1962, but missed most of the tournament due to an injury. With Brazil’s wins in 1962 and 1970, Pelè became the only player to win three Word Cup titles.

Pelè was stunning in the field. Thousands flocked to watch him play. Even a nation in civil war agreed to cease fire just to watch Pelè play. Over the years, Pelè was awarded with national as well as international individual recognitions for his services for the game, including an induction to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Knight Commander of the British Empire, UNICEF’s Football Player of the Century, and FIFA Player of the Century (shared with Maradona). In addition, Pelè has scored 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil, and many sources report that he has scored a total of 1281 goals in 1363 professional games, including friendly matches.