Pelé

Biography

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23 October 1940 in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil, the man the world knows as Pelé grew up in extreme poverty in Bauru, São Paulo, playing football in the streets with rag balls. He was spotted at fourteen by former Brazil international Waldemar de Brito and joined Santos FC at fifteen, making his professional debut in 1956.

At sixteen, Pelé was already the top scorer in the Brazilian championship. In 1958, aged just seventeen years and 249 days, he became the youngest player in history to win a FIFA World Cup, scoring twice in the final against Sweden as Brazil triumphed 5-2. He then won two more World Cup titles with Brazil, in 1962 and most famously in 1970, when the Brazilian team, widely considered the greatest ever assembled, dazzled the world with their flamboyant style of play.

With Santos FC, Pelé won ten Brazilian championships, two Copa Libertadores titles, and two Intercontinental Cups, carrying the club to worldwide recognition. He scored 1,283 official career goals in 1,363 matches, an absolute world record recognized by FIFA. In 1975, he signed with the New York Cosmos to help popularize football in the United States, playing alongside Franz Beckenbauer until his retirement in 1977.

The International Olympic Committee named Pelé Athlete of the Century in 1999. Honoured by heads of state around the world, he transcended sport to become a global symbol of peace and humanity. He passed away on 29 December 2022 in São Paulo from colon cancer, leaving behind an immeasurable legacy and a world united in mourning.