- Born
- Died
- Birth nameEdson Arantes do Nascimento
- Nicknames
- The Black Pearl
- The King Pelé
- The King of Football
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- Simply he was, and for many people still is, the greatest football player of the world. Not a single thing was impossible for him: he won three World Cups with his National Team of Brazil (Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, Mexico 1970). He scored more than 1.200 goals during his long career (more than 1.300 official matches). He also won many national Leagues and Continental Cups ("Copa Libertadores"), with his team, the Santos Futebol Clube (of Brazilian 'São Paulo' State). In the '60s, he was nick-named "O Rei" (The King), and in the '70s, ninety-five people out of 100 knew his name. ("Wow, man, you're popular!" said Robert Redford, some years ago, after seeing Pelé give dozens of autographs in New York while he was not asked for one). In the late 1960s, when he and his team, Santos, went to Nigeria to play a few friendly matches, the ongoing civil war stopped for the duration of his visit. He finished his career in the New York Cosmos, in 1977. He later became a United Nations Ambassador and has been also Minister for Sports in his country, but, for the people who saw him make magics with his right foot, he is, now and forever, the biggest footballer in the world, and the one and only "King".- IMDb Mini Biography By: Sergio D'Afflitto <sergio.dafflitto@iname.com>
- Pelé is a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.
He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Pelé is the most successful domestic league goal-scorer in football history scoring 650 goals in 694 League matches, and in total 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and is a Guinness World Records (2004). During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world.
Pelé began playing for Santos F.C. at age 15 and the Brazil National Football Team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, being the only player ever to do so. Pelé is the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. At club level he is the record goalscorer for Santos F.C., and led them to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores (2004).
Since retiring in 1977, Pelé has been a worldwide ambassador for football and has made many acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the Honorary President of the New York Cosmos.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tango Papa
- SpousesMarcia Cibele Aoki(July 9, 2016 - December 29, 2022) (his death)Assiria(April 30, 1994 - 2008) (divorced, 2 children)Rosemary Cholbi(February 21, 1966 - 1982) (divorced, 3 children)
- ChildrenJenniferEdinhoKellyFlavia ChristinaSandra (deceased)CelesteJoshua
- ParentsCeleste
- RelativesJair(Sibling)Jorge Arantes(Aunt or Uncle)Malcolm(Grandchild)Ruby(Grandchild)Enzo(Grandchild)Ella(Grandchild)Otavio(Grandchild)Gabriel(Grandparent)Maria Lucia(Sibling)
- Juggling a soccer ball on his toes, thighs and head, without using his hands.
- The bicycle kick: throwing himself on his back while kicking a soccer ball back over his head.
- Over his entire career, he officially scored 1,284 goals in 1,363 matches. He played one game as a goalkeeper.
- He is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970).
- His last professional playing appearance, which took place on October 1, 1977, was played in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In that match, most unusually, he wore the jerseys of, and played for, both teams. He wore the jersey of his then present team, the New York Cosmos (1975-1977), for the first half of the game, and his original team, Santos (Brazil, 1956-1974) for the second half of the game. At halftime, the Cosmos retired Pelé's number 10. Pelé presented the Cosmos retirement jersey to his father, who was escorted from the stands to the field by Cosmos Captain Werner Roth.
- Played in 92 matches for Brazil and scored a remarkable 77 goals.
- In 1995, Pelé was awarded Brazil's Gold Medal for outstanding services to sport; Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed him to the position of "Extraordinary Minister for Sport." During his time as Minister for Sport, he proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football, which when passed, became known as the "Pelé law." Pelé left government in 2001 after being accused of involvement in a corruption scandal, although nothing was proven, and the charges were further denied by UNICEF. In 1997, Pelé was honored by Queen Elizabeth II as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 2005, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) bestowed their award for lifetime achievement on Pelé. 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," his first such honorary degree from a European university.
- I am constantly being asked about individuals. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three star players.
- [on players who bring football into disrepute] They don't love the game, they don't love the team.
- For many people, their memory of Gordon Banks is defined by the save he made against me in 1970. I understand why. The save was one of the best I have ever seen - in real life and in all the thousands of games I have watched since. When you are a footballer, you know straight away how well you have hit the ball. I hit that header exactly as I had hoped. Exactly where I wanted it to go. And I was ready to celebrate. But then this man, Banks, appeared in my sight, like a kind of blue phantom, is how I described him. He came from nowhere and he did something I didn't feel was possible. He pushed my header, somehow, up and over. And I couldn't believe what I saw. Even now when I watch it, I can't believe it. I can't believe how he moved so far, so fast. I scored so many goals in my life, but many people, when they meet me, always ask me about that save. While it was indeed phenomenal, my memory of Gordon is not defined by that - it is defined by his friendship. He was a kind and warm man who gave so much to people. So I am glad he saved my header - because that act was the start of a friendship between us that I will always treasure.
- People talk about the best being Pele or Diego Maradona [Diego Maradona], but for me the best was Alfredo Di Stéfano. Maradona was a great player, but he could not kick with his right foot and did not score goals with his head. The only time he scored an important goal with his head, it turned out he had used his hand.
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