Edson
Arantes "Pelé" Nascimento
October 23, 1940 - Present
Birthplace: Tres Coracos, Brazil
"It seems that God brought me to Earth with a mission
to play soccer,") Edson Arantes Do Nascimento
(Pele)
Born Edson Arantes Do Nascimento (better known as Pelé) 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.
Pelé 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 Pelé 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! Pelé'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.
Pelé 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 -- Pelé 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 Pelé an official national treasure to prevent him
from being transferred out of the country.
At the 1966 World Cup in England, Pelé was the victim of some brutal tackles
from Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders and left the finals injured and in
tears. But the best of Pelé was still to come.
At the 1970 finals in Mexico, the 29-year-old Pelé, led one
of the greatest teams ever assembled to win Brazil's third World Cup. In the
4-1 title triumph over Italy, Pelé, scored a glorious goal. It was Brazil's
100th World Cup goal, and the one he remembers the most.
"I have a special feeling for that goal because I scored it with my
head," he said. "My father was a soccer player and once scored five
goals in a game, all with his head. That was one record I was never able to
break."
Pelé'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.
Pelé 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, Pelé 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, Pelé'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, Pelé 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 Pelé's retirement, J.B. Pinheiro,
Brazil's ambassador to the U.N., said Pelé 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 'Pelé'
(1977). He was the 1978 recipient of the International Peace Award, and in 1980
he was named athlete of the century.
In 1993, Pelé 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, Pelé was named second for the "Sportsman of the Century"
award. The legendary Muhammad Ali got the honors.
