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Edson Arantes do Nascimento ( 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), known as Pelé , was a Brazilian professional footballer . He played as a forward . Pelé is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA . He was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th 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.

He scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, and this achievement 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.

Early years

First steps in football.

New York Cosmos

International career

Style of play, relationships and children, public image, international, filmography.

Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23 October 1940, in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil, to a family of Fluminense footballer Dondinho (born João Ramos do Nascimento) and Celeste Arantes. He was the elder of two siblings, and was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison . His parents decided to remove the "i" and call him "Edson", but there was a mistake on the birth certificate, and in many documents his name appeared as "Edison", not "Edson", as he is called.

He was originally nicknamed "Dico" by his family. He received the nickname "Pelé" during his school days. He was given it because he mispoke the name of his favourite player, local Vasco da Gama goalkeeper Bilé. In his autobiography, Pelé stated he had no idea what the name means, nor did his old friends. Apart from the assertion that the name is derived from that of "Bilé", and that it is Hebrew for "miracle" (פֶּ֫לֶא), the word has no known meaning in Portuguese .

Pelé grew up in poverty in Bauru in the state of São Paulo . He earned extra money by working in tea shops as a servant.

Pelé was taught to play by his father. As his family was poor, 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 played for several amateur teams in his youth, including Sete de Setembro , Canto do Rio , São Paulinho , and Amériquinha .

Pelé led Bauru Athletic Club juniors (coached by Waldemar de Brito ) to two São Paulo state youth championships. In his mid-teens, he played for an indoor football team called Radium. Indoor football had just become popular in Bauru when Pelé began playing it. He was part of the first futsal (indoor football) competition in the region. Pelé and his team won the first championship and several others.

According to Pelé, futsal (indoor football) presented difficult challenges; he said it was a lot quicker than football on the grass and that players were required to think faster because everyone is close to each other in the pitch. Pelé credits futsal for helping him think better on the spot. In addition, futsal allowed him to play with adults when he was about 14 years old. In one of the tournaments he participated in, he was initially considered too young to play, but eventually went on to end up top scorer with 14 or 15 goals. "That gave me a lot of confidence", Pelé said, "I knew then not to be afraid of whatever might come".

Club career

Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16.

He is Santos' all-time top goalscorer with 643 goals in 659 games. In a golden era for Santos, he led the club to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores, and to the 1962 and 1963 Intercontinental Cup.

Pelé states that his most memorable goal was scored at the Estádio Rua Javari on a Campeonato Paulista match against São Paulo rival Clube Atlético Juventus on 2 August 1959. As there is no video footage of this match, Pelé asked that a computer animation be made of this specific goal.

In March 1961, Pelé scored the gol de placa (goal worthy of a plaque), against Fluminense at the Maracanã. Pelé received the ball on the edge of his own penalty area, and ran the length of the field, eluding opposition players with feints, before striking the ball beyond the goalkeeper. A plaque was commissioned with a dedication to "the most beautiful goal in the history of the Maracanã".

In 1969, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game in Lagos . Santos ended up playing to a 2–2 draw with Lagos side Stationary Stores FC and Pelé scored his team's goals. The civil war went on for one more year after this game.

During his time at Santos, Pelé played alongside many gifted players, including Zito, Pepe , and Coutinho; the latter partnered him in numerous one-two plays, attacks, and goals. Pelé's 643 goals for Santos was the most goals scored for a single club until it was surpassed by Lionel Messi of Barcelona in December 2020.

After the 1974 season (his 19th with Santos), Pelé retired from Brazilian club football although he continued to occasionally play for Santos in official competitive matches. A year later, he signed with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1975 season.

Pelé made his debut for the Cosmos on 15 June 1975 against the Dallas Tornado at Downing Stadium, scoring one goal in a 2–2 draw. Pelé opened the door for many other stars to play in North America.

Pelé led the Cosmos to the 1977 Soccer Bowl, in his third and final season with the club.

On 1 October 1977, Pelé closed out his career in an exhibition match between the Cosmos and Santos. The match was played in front of a sold-out crowd at Giants Stadium and was televised in the US on ABC's Wide World of Sports as well as throughout the world. Pelé's father and wife both attended the match, as well as Muhammad Ali and Bobby Moore.

Pelé played the first half with the Cosmos, the second with Santos. The game ended with the Cosmos winning 2–1, with Pelé scoring with a 30-yard free-kick for the Cosmos in what was the final goal of his career. During the second half it started to rain, prompting a Brazilian newspaper to come out with the headline the following day: "Even The Sky Was Crying."

Pelé's first international match was a 2–1 defeat against Argentina on 7 July 1957 at the Maracanã. In that match, he scored his first goal for Brazil aged 16 years and nine months, and he remains the youngest goalscorer for his country.

During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups : 1958 , 1962 and 1970 , the only player to do so. He was nicknamed O Rei (The King) following the 1958 tournament.

Pelé is the joint-top goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games.

Pelé's last international match was on 18 July 1971 against Yugoslavia in Rio de Janeiro. With Pelé on the field, the Brazilian team's record was 67 wins, 14 draws and 11 losses. Brazil never lost a match while fielding both Pelé and Garrincha.

Pelé has also been known for connecting the phrase "The Beautiful Game" with football. He was known for his ability to anticipate opponents in the area and finish off chances with an accurate and powerful shot with either foot. Pelé was also a hard-working team player, and a complete forward, with exceptional vision and intelligence, who was recognised for his precise passing and ability to link up with teammates and provide them with assists .

In his early career, he played in a variety of attacking positions . Although he usually operated inside the penalty area as a main striker or centre forward , his wide range of skills also allowed him to play in a more withdrawn role, as an inside forward or second striker , or out wide . In his later career, he took on more of a deeper playmaking role behind the strikers, often functioning as an attacking midfielder . Pelé's unique playing style combined speed, creativity, and technical skill with physical power, stamina, and athleticism. His excellent technique, balance, flair, agility, and dribbling skills enabled him to beat opponents with the ball, and frequently saw him use sudden changes of direction and elaborate feints in order to get past players, such as his trademark move, the drible da vaca . Another one of his signature moves was the paradinha , or little stop.

Despite his relatively small stature, 1.73 metres (5 ft 8 in), he excelled in the air, due to his heading accuracy, timing, and elevation. Renowned for his bending shots, he was also an accurate free-kick taker, and penalty taker, although he often refrained from taking penalties, stating that he believed it to be a cowardly way to score.

Pelé was also known to be a fair and highly influential player, who stood out for his charismatic leadership and sportsmanship on the pitch. His warm embrace of Bobby Moore following the Brazil vs England game at the 1970 World Cup is viewed as the embodiment of sportsmanship, with The New York Times stating the image "captured the respect that two great players had for each other. As they exchanged jerseys, touches and looks, the sportsmanship between them is all in the image. No gloating, no fist-pumping from Pelé. No despair, no defeatism from Bobby Moore." Pelé also earned a reputation for often being a decisive player for his teams, due to his tendency to score crucial goals in important matches.

Personal life

• Sandra (1964–2006)
• Flávia (born 1968)
• Kelly Cristina (born 1967)
• Edson (born 1970)
• Jennifer (born 1978)
• Joshua (born 1996)
• Celeste (born 1996)

Pelé married three times, and had several affairs, producing several children.

On 21 February 1966, Pelé married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi. They had two daughters and one son: Kelly Cristina (born 13 January 1967), who married Dr. Arthur DeLuca, Jennifer (b. 1978), and their son Edson ("Edinho", b. 27 August 1970). The couple divorced in 1982.

In April 1994, Pelé married psychologist and gospel singer Assíria Lemos Seixas, who gave birth on 28 September 1996 to twins Joshua and Celeste through fertility treatments. The couple divorced in 2008.

Pelé had at least two more children from former affairs. Sandra Machado, who was born from an affair Pelé had in 1964 with a housemaid, Anizia Machado, fought for years to be acknowledged by Pelé, who refused to submit to DNA tests. Pelé finally relented after a court-ordered DNA test proved she was his daughter; Machado died of cancer in 2006.

At the age of 73, Pelé announced his intention to marry 41-year-old Marcia Aoki, a Japanese-Brazilian importer of medical equipment from Penápolis, São Paulo, whom he had been dating from 2010. They first met in the mid-1980s in New York, before meeting again in 2008. They married in July 2016.

In 1970, Pelé was investigated by the Brazilian military dictatorship for suspected leftist sympathies. Declassified documents showed Pelé was investigated after being handed a manifesto calling for the release of political prisoners. Pelé himself did not get further involved within political struggles in the country.

In 1976, Pelé was on a Pepsi -sponsored trip in Lagos, Nigeria, when that year's attempted military coup took place. Pelé was trapped in a hotel together with Arthur Ashe and other tennis pros, who were participating in the interrupted 1976 Lagos WCT tournament. Pelé and his crew eventually left the hotel to stay at the residence of Brazil's ambassador as they could not leave the country for a couple of days. Later the airport was opened and Pelé left the country disguised as a pilot.

In June 2013, he was criticised in public opinion for his conservative views. During the 2013 protests in Brazil, Pelé asked for people to "forget the demonstrations" and support the Brazil national team.

A practicing Catholic , Pelé donated a signed jersey to Pope Francis . Accompanied with a signed football from Ronaldo , it is located in one of the Vatican Museums .

Pelé was known for frequently referring to himself in the third person.

In Brazil, he is 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. His emergence at the 1958 World Cup, where he became the first black global sporting star, was a source of inspiration.

On December 29, 2022, Pelé died at the age of 82 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His agent Joe Fraga confirmed his death. Pelé had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer since 2021 and had been hospitalized for the last month with multiple ailments.

After football

Throughout his career and in his retirement, Pelé received several individual and team awards for his performance in the field, his record-breaking achievements, and legacy in the sport. Since retiring in 1977, Pelé was a worldwide ambassador for football and made many acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the honorary president of the New York Cosmos.

In 1994, Pelé was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

In 1995, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed Pelé to the position of Extraordinary Minister for Sport. During this time he proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football, which became known as the "Pelé law." The Brazilian President had eliminated the post of Sports Minister in 1998.

In 1997, he received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace . Pelé also helped inaugurate the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, alongside supermodel Claudia Schiffer .

The most notable area of Pelé's life since football was his ambassadorial work. In 1992, he was appointed a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. He was also awarded Brazil's gold medal for outstanding services to the sport in 1995.

In 2012, Pelé was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh for "significant contribution to humanitarian and environmental causes, as well as his sporting achievements".

In 2009, Pelé assisted the Rio de Janeiro bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. In July 2009 he spearheaded the Rio 2016 presentation to the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa General Assembly in Abuja, Nigeria.

On 12 August 2012, Pelé was an attendee at the 2012 Olympic hunger summit hosted by UK Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street , London, part of a series of international efforts which have sought to respond to the return of hunger as a high-profile global issue. Later on the same day, Pelé appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, following the handover section to the next host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics , Rio de Janeiro. In addition to his ambassadorial work, Pelé supported various charitable causes, such as Action for Brazil's Children, Gols Pela Vida, SOS Children's Villages, The Littlest Lamb, Prince's Rainforests Project and many more. In 2016, Pelé auctioned more than 1600 items from a collection he accumulated over decades and raised £3.6 million for charity. In 2018, Pelé founded his own charitable organisation, the Pelé Foundation, which endeavours to empower impoverished and disenfranchised children from around the globe.

Pelé has published several autobiographies, starred in documentary films, and composed musical pieces, including the soundtrack for the film Pelé in 1977.

He appeared in the 1981 film Escape to Victory , about a World War II -era football match between Allied prisoners of war and a German team. Pelé starred alongside other footballers of the 1960s and 1970s, with actors Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone .

In 1969, Pelé starred in a telenovela called Os Estranhos , about first contact with aliens. It was created to drum up interest in the Apollo missions .

In 2001, had a cameo role in the satire film Mike Bassett: England Manager . Pelé was asked to participate in the 2006 ESPN documentary film Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos , but declined when the producers refused to pay his requested $100,000 fee.

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A : 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
• Copa Libertadores : 1962, 1963
• Intercontinental Cup : 1962, 1963
• Intercontinental Supercup: 1968
• Campeonato Paulista: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973
• Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1959, 1963, 1964, 1966
• North American Soccer League , Soccer Bowl: 1977
• North American Soccer League , Atlantic Conference Championship: 1977
• FIFA World Cup : 1958 , 1962 , 1970
• Taça do Atlântico: 1960
• Roca Cup: 1957, 1963
• Taça Oswaldo Cruz: 1958, 1962, 1968
• Copa Bernardo O'Higgins: 1959

In December 2000, Pelé and Maradona shared the prize of FIFA Player of the Century by FIFA . The award was originally intended to be based upon votes in a web poll, but after it became apparent that it favoured Diego Maradona , many observers complained that the Internet nature of the poll would have meant a skewed demographic of younger fans who would have seen Maradona play, but not Pelé. FIFA then appointed a "Family of Football" committee of FIFA members to decide the winner of the award together with the votes of the readers of the FIFA magazine. The committee chose Pelé. Since Maradona was winning the Internet poll, however, it was decided he and Pelé should share the award.

• Campeonato Paulista Top Scorer: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973
• FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1958
• FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1958
• France Football's Ballon d'Or : 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970 – Le nouveau palmarès (the new winners)
• South American Championship Best Player: 1959
• South American Championship Top Scorer: 1959
• Gol de Placa: 1961
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Top Scorer: 1961, 1963, 1964
• Intercontinental Cup Top Scorer: 1962, 1963
• Torneio Rio-São Paulo Top Scorer: 1963
• Copa Libertadores Top Scorer: 1965
• BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: 1970
• Bola de Prata: 1970
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (Best Player): 1970
• South American Footballer of the Year: 1973
• Included in the North American Soccer League (NASL) All-Star team: 1975, 1976, 1977
• NASL Top Assist Provider: 1976
• NASL Most Valuable Player : 1976
• Number 10 retired by the New York Cosmos as a recognition to his contribution to the club: 1977
• Elected Citizen of the World, by the United Nations : 1977
• International Peace Award: 1978
• FIFA Order of Merit: 1984
• Inducted into the American National Soccer Hall of Fame : 1992
• Elected Goodwill Ambassador, by UNESCO : 1993
• Winner of France Football's World Cup Top-100 1930–1990: 1994
• Marca Leyenda: 1997
• World Team of the 20th Century: 1998
• Football Player of the Century, elected by France Football's Ballon d'Or Winners: 1999
• TIME : One of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th century: 1999
• Greatest Player of the 20th Century, by World Soccer: 1999
• Athlete of the Century, by Reuters News Agency: 1999
• Athlete of the Century, elected by International Olympic Committee : 1999
• World Player of the Century, by the IFFHS: 2000
• South American player of the century, by the IFFHS: 2000
• FIFA Player of the Century: 2000
• Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: 2000
• FIFA Centennial Award: 2004
• FIFA 100 Greatest Living Footballers: 2004
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award : 2005
• Elected best Brazilian player of the century, by the IFFHS: 2006
• Greatest football player to have ever played the game, by Golden Foot: 2012
• FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur: 2013
• World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time: 2013
• Legends of Football Award: 2013
• South America's Best Player in History, by L’Équipe: 2015
• Inspiration Award, by GQ: 2017
• Global Citizen Award, by the World Economic Forum : 2018
• FWA Tribute Award: 2018
• Ballon d'Or Dream Team : 2020
• IFFHS All-time Men's Dream Team: 2021
• IFFHS South America Men's Team of All Time: 2021
• Knight of the Order of Rio Branco: 1967
• Elected Commander of the Order of Rio Branco after scoring the thousandth goal: 1969
• Awarded with the Order of Champions, by the Organization of Catholic Youth in the USA: 1978
• Awarded the FIFA Order as a tribute to his 80 years as a sports institution: 1984
• Awarded with the Order of Merit of South America, by CONMEBOL: 1984
• He was awarded the National Order of Merit, by the government of Brazil: 1991
• Awarded with the Cross of the Order of the Republic of Hungary: 1994
• Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (honorary knighthood): 1997
• Olympic Order, by the International Olympic Committee : 2016

• Joint-most goals for Brazil national football team : 77 (95 including unofficial friendlies) (tied with Neymar )
• Highest goals-per-game ratio (0.84) for Brazil national football team
• Highest goals-per-game ratio (0.84) of any South American top international scorer
• Highest goals-per-game ratio (2.33) of any leading scorer in the Intercontinental Cup
• Most goals in the Intercontinental Cup : 7
• Most goals for Santos : 643 (in 659 competitive games)
• Most goals scored in a single Campeonato Paulista season: 58 (in 38 competitive games,1958)
• Most goals in a calendar year (recognised by FIFA ): 127 (1959)
• Most hat-tricks in world football: 92
• Most career goals in world football (including friendlies): 1,283 (in 1,363 games)
• Most FIFA World Cup winners' medals: 3 ( 1958 , 1962 , 1970 )
• Youngest winner of a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)
• Youngest goalscorer in a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 239 days (for Brazil vs Wales , 1958)
• Youngest player to score twice in a FIFA World Cup semi-final: aged 17 years and 244 days (for Brazil vs France , 1958)
• Youngest player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 244 days (for Brazil vs France, 1958)
• Youngest player to play in a FIFA World Cup Final : aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)
• Youngest goalscorer in a FIFA World Cup Final: aged 17 years and 249 days (for Brazil vs Sweden , 1958)
• Youngest player to score twice in a FIFA World Cup Final: aged 17 years and 249 days (for Brazil vs Sweden, 1958)
• Youngest player to start a knockout match at a FIFA World Cup
• Youngest player to reach five FIFA World Cup knockout stage goals
• Youngest goalscorer for Brazil national football team: aged 16 years and nine months (Brazil vs Argentina , 1957)
• First player to score in three successive FIFA World Cups
• One of only five players to have scored in four different FIFA World Cup tournaments
• One of only five players to have scored in two different FIFA World Cup Finals
• Scored in two FIFA World Cup Finals for winning teams (shared with Vavá )
• Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup history: 10 (1958–1970)
• Most assists provided in a single FIFA World Cup tournament: 6 (1970)
• Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup Final matches: 3 (1 in 1958 and 2 in 1970)
• Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup knockout phase: 6 (shared with Messi )
• Most goals from open play in FIFA World Cup Final matches: 3 (2 in 1958 and 1 in 1970) (shared with Vavá , Geoff Hurst and Zinedine Zidane )
• Only player to reach 25 international goals as a teenager
• Only player to score in a FIFA World Cup before turning 18
• Only player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World cup before turning 18
• Only player to have scored a hat-trick in the Intercontinental Cup

Career statistics

Pelé's goalscoring record is often reported by FIFA as being 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. This figure includes goals scored by Pelé in friendly club matches, including international tours Pelé completed with Santos and the New York Cosmos, and a few games Pelé played in for the Brazilian armed forces teams during his national service in Brazil and the Selection Team of São Paulo State for the Brazilian Championship of States ( Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais ). He was listed in the Guinness World Records for most career goals scored in football. In 2000, IFFHS declared Pelé as the "World's Best and successful Top Division Goal Scorer of all time" with 541 goals in 560 games and honoured him with a trophy.

The tables below record every goal Pelé scored in official club competitions for Santos FC and all matches and goals for the New York Cosmos.

• * Indicates that the number was deduced from the list of rsssf.com and this list of Pelé games.

With 77 goals in 92 official appearances, Pelé is the joint-top scorer of the Brazil national football team (tied with Neymar ). He scored 12 goals and is credited with 10 assists in 14 World Cup appearances, including 4 goals and 7 assists in 1970 . Pelé shares with Uwe Seeler , Miroslav Klose , Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo , the achievement of being the only players to have scored in four separate World Cup tournaments.

Pelé's statistics of goals and appearances differ between sources mostly due to friendly games. The RSSSF states that Pelé scored 775   goals in 840 official games. The following table is based on the latest announcement of RSSSF (2021).

• This page was last modified on 14 February 2024, at 15:07. Suggest an edit .

Biography Online

Pele Biography

“I was born for soccer, just as Beethoven was born for music.” – Pele

Pele was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23 October 1940 in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison (his parents removed the i). In his childhood, he gained a nickname ‘Pele’ – after he mispronounced the name of a goalkeeper ‘Bile’ – Initially Pele disliked it and complained, but the more he complained, the more it stuck. Pele has no meaning and was intended as an insult, though later it was found that the word Bilé is Hebrew for “miracle.”

Pele grew up in poverty in São Paulo. He was taught to play football by his father (who used to play football), but often he had to practise with a sock stuffed with newspapers because he could not afford to buy a football. As well as playing football, he worked as a waiter in local tea shops.

In his youth, Pele played in indoor leagues, and this helped increase his speed of reactions. He rose through the youth leagues and at the age of 15 was signed by Santos FC. He was soon marked out as a future star. By the age of 16, he was the top scorer in the Brazilian league and received a call up for the Brazilian national side. Interest was such that the Brazilian President declared Pele a national treasure to prevent him being bought by foreign clubs such as Manchester United.

Pele’s World Cups

1970 World Cup

Style of play

Pele was relatively short at  5″ 8′, but he more than compensated in terms of speed, power, agility and strength. He was superb with both feet, powerful in the air, great timing and accuracy and an extraordinary perception of the game. He could mesmerise defenders with his eyes and send them the wrong way. He had a scoring ratio of 0.94 goals per game and often rose to the big occasion, scoring at crucial moments in big games. Whilst very competitive, he was also considered to be a fair player with good sense of sportsmanship. A good example was his warm embrace of Bobby Moore, the England caption after England’s defeat in the 1970 World Cup. It is sometimes held up as an embodiment of sportsmanship. Without any doubt, he is universally regarded as the greatest player of the twentieth century – if not all time. He is one of the few sportsman like Muhammad Ali and Usain Bolt, who transcend their sport to become a global icon. French footballer Michel Platini said of Pele.

“There’s Pelé the man, and then Pelé the player. And to play like Pelé is to play like God.

In the domestic league, Pele made his debut for Santos aged just 16. He played for Santos in the Brazilian league from until the 1972-73 season.

Pele finished his career in the lucrative US league. In 1975, he signed for New York Cosmos and played three seasons. He led the New York Cosmos to the US title in 1977 – the year of his retirement.

Personal life

Pele was married three times and had several children, some out of wedlock. In 1970, he was investigated by the authoritarian Brazilian government for suspected sympathy to left-wing political prisoners. Pele was investigated for handing out leaflets calling for the release of political prisoners. After the investigation, he did not get involved in politics again.

After retiring has gone on to be a great ambassador for football and sport in general. In 1992, Pelé was appointed a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. He was also appointed a UNESCO goodwill ambassador. He is not only one of the most gifted footballers of his generation, but, also a mild-mannered man who used his fame and prestige for a positive effect.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Pele”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net. Last updated 8 March 2020. Originally published 18 April 2010.

Some Highlights of Pele’s Career

• Athlete of the Century , by Reuters News Agency: 1999
• Athlete of the Century , elected by International Olympic Committee: 1999
• UNICEF Football Player of the Century : 1999
• TIME One of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century : 1999
• FIFA Player of the Century : 2000

Pele – autobiography at Amazon

Related pages

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Dec. 30, 2022, 5:10 p.m.

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• How will Pelé be remembered for his life outside of soccer?

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Home › Players › Pelé

B orn on October, 23, 1940 in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Edson Arantes do Nascimento would become more commonly known around the world as Pelé. His father, João Ramos do Nascimento, played professional soccer himself, but his career never brought him much in the way of money. As the legend goes, Pelé’s family could not even afford to buy a ball for him, so he stuffed socks and molded them into the shape of a ball to kick around.

Basic facts

Birth: 1940 Death: 2022 Country: Brazil Position: Forward

Santos FC (1956-1974) New York Cosmos (1975-1977)

Club football: 694 matches, 650 goals National team: 92 matches, 77 goals

Early career

Although he continued to struggle financially in São Paulo, working a variety of jobs to help his family, the young Pelé found his true talent on the field. Under the tutelage of his father and a former national team player named Waldemar de Brito, Pelé began to mature as a player on the Bauru Athletic Club juniors. Coach de Brito recognized his ability and recommended him for a tryout with Santos FC. The team’s management agreed with de Brito’s assessment and signed Pelé in June 1956. A mere three months later, Pelé scored a goal in his debut match. Although few people knew it at the time, this foreshadowed the success to come in the rest of Pelé’s professional career.

Stardom of a youngster

Only a short year later, Pelé topped the list of scorers in the league. His performance, at the tender age of 17, caught the attention of the national team. He would not disappoint. In his first appearance on the world stage, he scored key goals in both the semifinal and the final match of the 1958 World Cup to win it for Brazil . At this point, he had achieved superhero status in Brazil and became a household name around the world. The Brazilian government honored him as a “national treasure,” which elevated his status at home, but also prevented him from taking advantage of offers a broad.

Struggle with injuries

On an individual level, the next two World Cups turned out disappointing due to injuries. The Brazilian side still won the tournament in 1962, but they fell way short in 1966 without their star player—they were eliminated in the group stage. During this era, though, Pelé continued to excel on his club team, Santos. Consistently a top scorer, he often faced teams who had altered their play specifically to deal with the threat he posed. Despite this, he still managed to score 60 goals in the 1964 season and 101 goals the year after that.

Retirement and comeback

By the time 1970 rolled around, Pelé had reportedly decided to hang up his hat and leave while he was on top. However, he was eventually coaxed into playing one last World Cup for Brazil in Mexico on what many consider as the best team in history. Pelé contributed to Brazil’s tournament win with goals and several important assists, earning himself the Golden Ball award for his play. Pelé continued with the Brazilian team for about another year, finally calling it quits in 1971. A few years after that, he said goodbye to his fans at Santos, too. His days as a player were still not over, though.

Late career

Although he had long said that he would only ever play for Santos, he could not resist answering the call from the New York Cosmos in 1975. The North American Soccer League (NASL) represented a significant step down in terms of the level of play that Pelé was accustomed to. The burgeoning league benefitted greatly from this ambassador of the game, though, and ticket sales rose. The American public, largely unfamiliar with the game, took notice. Pelé led the Cosmos to a championship before retiring for good, an event marked by an exhibition match between his adoptive New York team and Santos.

Legacy and life after the football career

At the time of his retirement in 1977, Pelé had amassed a series of seemingly unbreakable records. He had racked up a total of 1,283 goals in 1,363 matches, making him the top scorer in Brazilian national team history and FIFA history. Just as impressively, he managed to pull off 92 hat-tricks. He also set a record for the most FIFA World Cup wins for an individual, with three medals to his name. His early years should not be overlooked, though. The young Pelé burned bright, becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick and the youngest player to score in a World Cup final match. Retirement saw “O Rei” go on to campaign for a variety of causes, including poverty reduction, anti-corruption movements, and environmental protection. He also received an honorary knighthood, served as the Minister of Sport in Brazil, and assumed the role of a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador. Of course, he never stopped promoting the game throughout the world, including FIFA events and Olympic ceremonies. Perhaps most memorable of all, he popularized the phrase “the beautiful game” as shorthand for the game he loved so much. Generations of enthusiasts have imagined themselves playing with the grace and beauty of “The Black Pearl.” He could strike the ball with astonishing accuracy or flick it off to a teammate through a thick web of defenders’ legs. His iconic goal-scoring bicycle kick in Belgium in 1968 sent young players from all over rushing outside for hours of painful practice. What dazzled many of his fellow players was his uncanny ability to work his way out of almost any situation with sheer skill. For those who have wondered about the origin of the name “Pelé,” the answer proves elusive. Some have claimed that it came from Pelé’s poor pronunciation of the name of a goalie he admired named “Bilé.” According to this version of events, his teammates half-mockingly gave him the name “Pelé” and he could not shake it. Pelé himself has never given a definitive account of how he got the name. In fact, he claimed he never cared for it much. Like so much else in this superstar’s life, though, the magic lies not in minute biographical details or trivia, but in the legacy that Pelé left on the field. Pelé passed away in december 2022, at the age of 82.

By Rosa Nelson

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References: http://www.biography.com/people/pel%C3%A9-39221#more-world-cup-titles http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10874465/How-and-why-Peles-mystique-and-reputation-as-the-worlds-greatest-ever-footballer-has-been-overhyped.html http://www.goal.com/en/news/60/south-america/2010/10/21/2176031/70-facts-about-brazil-legend-pele Image source: Image sources: 1, 3 FIFA – World Cup Official Film 1970 2 Scanpix

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Home / Non Fiction for Kids / Biographies for Kids / Pele

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Born Edson Arantes Do Nascimento in Tres Coracoes, Brazil on October 3, 1940, Pele was perhaps the greatest of all soccer players. Nicknamed Dico by his family, he was called Pele by his soccer friends. A supremely gifted athlete, he started playing soccer as a teenager, and soon he was playing as well as seasoned veterans. He was discovered at the age of eleven by one of Brazil’s premier players Waldemar De Brito. Four years later De Brito brought Pele to Sao Paulo and inducted him in the Santos club. He made his debut with the Major League Santos club in 1956 at the age of 15 and soon gained a reputation as an electrifying goal scorer.

A year later, he was selected to play for the Brazilian national team, and in 1958 he led them to victory in the World Cup, Brazil’s first international championship. In his long professional career, in which he was never seriously injured, Pele scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, a remarkable feat because he was invariably given special coverage by opposition.

A muscular compact man standing 5ft 8inches tall and weighing 68 kg, Pele possessed the perfect blend of physical power, dazzling ball handling, and an instinct for discerning an opponent’s weakness. He was noted for his powerful shot and skillful ball control and for his brilliant passing and tactical awareness.

Pele became the only player to participate in three world cup victories when he led the Brazilian national team to titles in 1958, 1962, and 1970. By 1970 he had scored his 1000th goal becoming the most prolific goal scorer in history.

Pele retired in 1974 but was enticed to return to play in 1975 when the New York Cosmos offered him a multi-million contract. Pele’s contract with Cosmos made him the highest paid athlete in the world at that time.

Although his once–matchless skills had faded, he was of immense value in popularising soccer and helping establish the sport in the United States. After his subsequent retirement in 1977, Pele became an international ambassador for the sport, working to promote peace and understanding through friendly athletic competition.

357 words | 3 minutes Readability: Grade 10 ( 15-16 year old children ) Based on Flesch–Kincaid readability scores

Filed under: biographies Tags: #athletes , #brazil

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Born Edson Arantes Do Nascimento (better known as Pele) is known as a legend and the best soccer player to ever play the game. He was raised in a very poor family in Tres Coracos, Brazil and his parents, Dondinho and Celeste Nascimento called Edson "Dico," growing up. He first learned the game of soccer from his father, Dondinho, who was a decent center forward until his career was halted by a fractured leg. Pele began playing soccer for a local minor-league club when he was a teenager. When he wasn't playing soccer he shined shoes for pennies. He was discovered at the age of 11 by one of the country's premier players, Waldemar de Brito. When Brito brought Pele to Sao Paulo he declared to the disbelieving directors of the professional team in Santos, "This boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world." He was right! Pele's impact was immediate! On his first appearance for the team, against Corinthians F.C., he scored a goal right away. He was only 16. Pele went on to play in four World Cups with Brazil's National Team. At the 1958 World Cup in Sweden -- one he nearly missed because of a knee injury -- Pele stunned the world scoring six goals, including two in the championship game to help Brazil win its first World Cup 5-2 over Sweden. He was only 17 years-old, but a legend was born. An average-sized man, he was blessed with speed, great balance, tremendous vision, the ability to control the ball superbly, and the ability to shoot powerfully and accurately with either foot and with his head. Four years later he played on Brazil's World Cup team at in the finals in Chile, but an injury suffered in the first game of the tournament prevented him from helping Brazil win its second title. Wealthy European clubs offered massive fees to sign the young player, but the government of Brazil declared Pele an official national treasure to prevent him from being transferred out of the country. At the 1966 World Cup in England, Pele was the victim of some brutal tackles from Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders and left the finals injured and in tears. But the best of Pele was still to come. At the 1970 finals in Mexico, the 29-year-old Pele, led one of the greatest teams ever assembled to win Brazil's third World Cup. In the 4-1 title triumph over Italy, Pele, scored a glorious goal. It was Brazil's 100th World Cup goal, and the one he remembers the most. Pele's statistics are staggering. During his career he scored 1,280 goals in 1,360 games, second only to another Brazilian, Arthur Friedenreich, who recorded 1,329 goals. He scored an average of a goal in every international game he played--the equivalent of a baseball player's hitting a home run in every World Series game over 15 years. At the club level he shattered records in Brazil. He scored 127 goals for Santos F.C. in 1959, 110 in 1961 and 101 goals in 1965, and led the club to two World Club championships. Pele also holds the world record for hat tricks (92) and the number of goals scored on the international level (97). His statistics are all the more amazing when compared to today's top players who can barely score more that 30 goals in a season. He retired from the game in 1974, but came out of retirement the following year to play in the North American Soccer League for the New York Cosmos for just over two seasons. A reported 7-million-dollar contract for three years made him the highest paid soccer player of the North American Soccer League. His appearance in the NASL gave the American League instant credibility and made millions of Americans aware of the sport; he dubbed the "beautiful game." He said he came out of retirement, not for the money, but to "make soccer truly popular in the United States." During his career he played in 93 full internationals for Brazil and in all first class matches scored a remarkable 1,280 goals, second only to Artur Friedenreich, another Brazilian, who holds the world record with 1,329. In many ways, Pele was the complete athlete. With his skill and agility, he could have played in any position on the field, but he chose on wearing the number-10 shirt as an inside-left forward. He had great balance, which enabled him to dribble effortlessly around defenders, and his heading ability was remarkable. On Oct. 1, 1977, Pele's mission in the NASL ended. His last match, an exhibition game between the Cosmos and Santos, was sold out six weeks beforehand, covered by 650 journalists and broadcast in 38 nations. Muhammad Ali embraced him in the locker room before the match and said, "Now there are two of the greatest." In a speech to dignitaries, celebrities and more than 75,000 fans, Pele urged his audience to pay attention to the children of the world. At his request, the assemblage shouted, "Love! Love! Love" Then he went out and played the first half for the Cosmos -- scoring a goal on a rocket from 30 yards out -- and the second half for Santos. On Pele's retirement, J.B. Pinheiro, Brazil's ambassador to the U.N., said Pele had "spent 22 years playing soccer, and in that time he has done more for goodwill and friendship than all of the ambassadors ever appointed." In addition to his great accomplishments in soccer, he published several best-selling autobiographies, starred in several documentary and semi-documentary films, and composed numerous musical pieces, including the entire sound track for the film 'Pele' (1977). He was the 1978 recipient of the International Peace Award, and in 1980 he was named athlete of the century. In 1993, Pele was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame and is the former ambassador of sports in Brazil. He has also done extensive work for children's causes through UNICEF. In 2000, Pele was named second for the "Sportsman of the Century" award. The legendary Muhammad Ali got the honors.

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10 Things You May Not Know About Pelé

From the origins of his name to how he played his final pro game for both teams, here are some facts about the Brazilian soccer star.

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Thus began Pelé's storied career, and by the time he played his final professional game in 1977, he’d netted over 1,280 career goals as part of Brazil’s Santos Football Club and the New York Cosmos. Although he was widely considered to be the greatest soccer player of all time, here are 10 things you might not know about Pelé:

He was named after Thomas Edison

As Pelé explained in a September 2014 tweet , his father João Ramos, a soccer player also known as Dondinho, and mother Dona Celeste named him Edson, after Thomas Edison . ”Electricity had just been introduced to my hometown in Brazil when I was born,” wrote the Três Corações native. First nicknamed “Dico” by his family, Pelé later explained that the moniker by which he’s currently known worldwide “really bugged” him at first.

“I was really proud that I was named after Thomas Edison and wanted to be called Edson,” he wrote in a 2006 Guardian piece . “I thought Pelé sounded horrible. It was a rubbish name. Edson sounded so much more serious and important.” Although the sports star added he “can never be 100 percent certain about the origin,” the most probable explanation is that the nickname was given to him by classmates because he mispronounced the name of one of his dad’s soccer teammates: Vasco de Sao Lourenco, a goalkeeper affectionately known as "Bilé."

“So when someone said, "Hey, Pelé," I would shout back and get angry. On one occasion I punched a classmate because of it and earned a two-day suspension,” he wrote. “Now I love the name — but back then it wound me up no end.”

He got creative when he couldn’t afford a soccer ball or shoes

Growing up in poverty, Pelé practiced his dribbling skills with a sock stuffed with rags when his family couldn’t afford to buy him an actual soccer ball. When he was 6, the family moved to a larger town in southern Brazil, where he shined shoes and sold roasted peanuts outside movie theaters to earn money for a soccer ball. Unable to afford shoes himself, he also frequently played barefoot, and his friends eventually formed a team called the Shoeless Ones. Later, barefooted games played in vacant lots became known as “ pelada ,” believed to be named after Pelé.

His first contract was far from lucrative

At 15 years old, Pelé signed his first contract with Santos in 1956, earning just $10 a month. According to ESPN, he used his pay to buy his mother a gas stove, though their town didn’t haven’t the capability to pipe gas into homes. Years later, he signed a three-year $7 million contract with the New York Cosmos in 1975, making him the highest‐paid team athlete in the world at the time. The New York Times estimated that $2 million of the deal went to taxes for the native Brazilian, however. “He will pay his own taxes, just like every American,” Cosmos vice president and general manager Clive Toye explained in 1975, per the newspaper.

He’s a Brazilian national treasure — literally

After Pelé led Brazil’s national team to their first World Cup win in 1958, European clubs such as Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and Manchester United began courting the rising star. In order to prevent him from being traded to foreign teams, Brazilian President Jânio Quadros eventually had Pelé declared a national treasure in 1961.

“Well, first of all it was an honor for me. But I pay income tax like anybody else,” he joked to Esquire in 2016. “I was invited — I had several proposals to play in Europe. For Real Madrid, for AC Milan, for Bayern Munich. But at that time, we didn't have too many Brazilian players outside the country. I was very happy at my team, Santos. I didn't have the desire to play outside the country.”

He held two Guinness World Records

By the end of his career, Pelé had won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil (in 1958, 1962 and 1970), earning him the most wins by any player. Of course, that’s but one of the many records he broke on the soccer field. The four goals Pelé scored in his 1956 professional debut only set the stage for the 1,283 total goals he’d go on to rack up over the years. There is some debate over Guinness’ total number, however, since multiple outlets reported that he scored more than 500 of those goals in “unofficial friendlies and tour games,” rather than in professional competition.

Henry Kissinger convinced him to play in the U.S.

After Pelé retired from the Brazilian national team and Santos in 1974, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger traveled to Sao Paulo to convince him to return to gameplay for the New York Cosmos. "He invited me to go to the cafe with him, and there he said, 'Listen. You know I'm from the United States, and I'm in politics there. Soccer is coming along there-they're playing it in the schools. Would you like to help us promote soccer in the United States?'” Pelé, who didn’t speak English at the time, recalled to Esquire in 2016. “And I said, 'My God.'"

Prior to him signing a reported $7 million, three-year contract with the New York Cosmos, Kissinger reportedly sent him a telegram that read: “Should you decide to sign a contract, I am sure your stay in the United States will substantially contribute to closer ties between Brazil and the United States in the field of sports.”

He once (temporarily) stopped a war

Kissinger noted in a 1999 Time article that both sides in Nigeria’s civil war called a 48-hour cease-fire in 1967 so Pelé could play an exhibition match in the capital of Lagos. Santos' website elaborates that the region's military governor Samuel Ogbemudia declared a holiday and opened up a bridge so that both sides could watch Pelé’s 2-1 victory over Nigeria.

“We were asked to play a friendly match on Benin City, in the middle of a Civil War, but Santos was so beloved that they agreed on a ceasefire on the matchday. It became known as the day that 'Santos stopped the war,'” Pelé tweeted in 2020. (In recent years, however, some have debated the extent of the reported ceasefire.)

He was friends with Nelson Mandela

Pelé left a family holiday to play in 2007’s “ 90 Minutes for Mandela ” charity match in honor of the South African president ’s 89th birthday. During a joint press conference, Pelé awarded Mandela an autographed jersey, which the latter called a “priceless gift” he’d treasure for the rest of his life.

“He was my hero, my friend, and also a companion to me in our fight for the people and for world peace,” Pelé tweeted following Mandela’s 2013 death, also calling the leader “one of the most influential people” in his life.

He played for both teams in his final pro game

In October 1977, Pelé competed in his final professional game in an exhibition match between the New York Cosmos and Santos F.C. in front of 77,000 spectators — including Muhammad Ali — at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium. He played the first half of the game for Santos, scoring one goal, and then switched jerseys and played for the Cosmos in the second half. The Cosmos eventually won the match with a final score of 2-1.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

Despite not being of British descent, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed upon Pelé the honorary title of Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) in 1997 for his humanitarian work and activism. Beginning in 1994, Pelé served as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Champion for Sport and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, creating such campaigns as Children in Need fundraising in 1996, and the Match of the Hearth, in 2000. “It will always stay in my memory,” he tweeted in 2020 of his honorary knighthood. “I thank all the British people for their affection.”

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