Pelé – the King of Football

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, widely known to the world as Pele — a football legend and idol of millions. The only footballer to win the World Cup three times as a player.

The International Olympic Committee named Pele the best athlete of the 20th century, and the Football Commission FIFA — the best football player of the 20th century. According to sports publications World Soccer, Guerin Sportivo, France Football, he ranks first among the best football players of the 20th century. He was one of the 100 most influential people in the world according to Time.

The list of “titles” of the football legend is extensive and not limited to those listed. It is difficult to find a person who has not heard of the great Brazilian player, but not everyone knows the facts from the biography and personal life of Pele.

Interesting facts about Pele

• Real name: Edson Arantes do Nascimento
• For a long time, the future football legend Pele simply hated his nickname
• He had unique peripheral vision, which was confirmed by medical tests during Pele’s examination in his youth.
• As a teenager, he played mini-football, in which he even excelled.
• Pele only learned to read and write after finishing his professional football career
• He was deemed a “national treasure”, making signing with European clubs virtually impossible for him
• I’ve had the same haircut my whole life, just like my father, and only changed my look once in college
• He didn’t want to serve in the army, but while serving as a private he continued to play football
• He made a vow never to marry, but broke it three times
• Already receiving a good salary as a football player, he continued to earn extra money for some time
• Experienced frequent cases of sleepwalking
• He served as Brazil’s Minister of Sports from 1995 to 1998

Where did Pele’s nickname come from: facts

A nickname in Brazil, along with a given name at birth, is a common occurrence. In most cases, it is the one used in everyday life. Edson had two nicknames. At home, he was called “Diko,” but at school and on the football field, he was “Pele.”

In Pele’s biography there is no 100% correct answer to the origin of this nickname. The footballer also could not remember exactly where it came from. In his numerous interviews, he told two versions.

According to one of the most common, as he recalled in his interviews, it came from the nickname of the goalkeeper “Bile”, who played for the same club as the father of the future football legend. As a boy, he hung around the goal at every opportunity. One day, he said that when he grows up, he wants to be a goalkeeper like “Pile”. This quickly turned into “Pele” and caught on much better than “Diko”.

According to the second, not very popular version, the nickname comes from the word “Pe”, which is said in Brazil when kicking a ball. As the legendary footballer said, when he kicked the ball, his teammates said “Pe-le” more and more often.

As a boy, he hated his nickname, which literally stuck to him. He even fought several times when he was called that. Over time, the footballer came to terms with it, and the nickname literally became his calling card. Few people know who Edson Arantes do Nascimento is, but almost anyone can answer who Pele is.

The legendary footballer once even said in an interview that he had learned to live with two people in his heart. One was Edson, who had fun with his family and friends, and the other was the footballer Pele, who went out on the field.

Pele: The Story of a Legend

It was Brito, who coached the club where Pele played, who brought the talented 15-year-old boy to tryouts at Santos. He confidently declared that the club representatives were not just looking at a boy, but at a young man who would become the best player on the planet. Brito’s statement was literally prophetic.

Appearances for the Brazilian national team

In June 1956, Santos signed Pele. When he first stepped onto the football field in September of that year, he was not yet 16 years old. In his very first match, Pele scored his first goal. There was no doubt about the footballer’s talent. Within 10 months, he received a call-up to the Brazilian national team.

Pele’s story, unlike many athletes, was not one of ups and downs. His phenomenal play attracted attention as soon as he started playing professionally. His first appearance for the national team at the 1958 World Cup was impressive. He scored the decisive goal in the quarter-final against Wales, and also scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against France, and scored two goals against Sweden in the final.

After his magnificent debut for the national team, Pele received recognition not only from spectators, but also from experts and opponents. Four years later, when the Brazilian national team won the 1962 World Cup, Pele was wanted by Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid. The move abroad was complicated by the fact that the year before, the footballer had been recognized as a “national treasure of Brazil”.

Injuries prevented Pele from showing his best at the 1962 and 1966 championships, but the fourth final in his career was truly triumphant. Brazil’s lineup at that World Cup was considered one of the strongest in the country’s history. The trophy after three victories at the World Cup remained with Brazil forever. This is an exceptional case. It was in the final against Mexico that Pele scored his hundredth goal for the Brazilian national team.

Appearances for Santos

The legendary footballer won his first title with the club in 1958, when Santos became the champion of Brazil, and Pele became the country’s top scorer with 58 goals. This record has not been broken to this day. A year later, the Rio-Sao Paulo Tournament was won. A year later, Santos won the Brazilian Cup and was given the opportunity to play in the Copa Libertadores.

The international success of Santos begins with the victory in the Copa Libertadores. As the champion of South America, the Brazilian club took part in the Intercontinental Cup. In the final, Santos beat Benfica thanks to goals from Pele. In the first match, he scored two goals and in the second, he scored a hat-trick. The following year, the club won the Intercontinental Cup again.

With Santos, Pele became the champion of the state of São Paulo six times, won the Rio-São Paulo tournament three times and the Brazilian Cup the same number of times. The latter is currently considered the Brazilian championship.

The football legend played 1,116 matches for the Brazilian club Santos, scoring 1,091 goals.

Playing for the New York Cosmos

In 1970, footballer Pele took a short break, after which he wanted to end his career, but everything turned out completely differently. In 1975, he not only returned to football, but also signed a contract with the professional American club “Cosmos” from the North American Soccer League (NASL).

Financial bankruptcy had also forced Pele to turn to Santos management in the mid-1960s. The club then signed him to a three-year contract on onerous terms, under which the legendary footballer played for the club for free for an entire season.

The move to the North American club was due to serious financial problems caused by unscrupulous financial advisers. Another reason, as Pele himself said, was the desire to popularize football in the United States of America.

Pele achieved both goals. The legendary footballer became the highest paid footballer in the world at the time of his transfer to the New York Cosmos. Attendance at European football matches increased almost tenfold. In 1977, he became the best player in the North American Soccer League (NASL). In his last season with the Cosmos, Pele led the club to victory in the NASL.

Farewell and last match of the legendary Pele

On October 1, 1977, the Brazilian footballer managed to play for both Santos and New York Cosmos. At that time, Pele had won almost all the highest awards, titles and honors in the United States of America.

77 thousand spectators came to see the idol of millions. When the final whistle blew, the sky above the stadium was covered with clouds, it started to rain. The legendary footballer cried and hugged his dear teammates from both teams.

Pele’s unrivaled skill

Pele’s phenomenal play is due to his natural physical gifts, unique peripheral vision, and hard work. In the prime of his athletic career, he ran the 100-meter dash in less than 11 seconds.

Of no small importance was how much time the footballer devoted to his training from early childhood, constantly honing his skills. Pele hit the ball equally brilliantly with both his left and right feet. He was also an excellent dribbler. Excellent filigree technique was combined with great speed and incredible improvisation in decision-making.

According to numerous experts, Pele’s playing technique had no weaknesses. It was his style that changed the vision and style of football in many ways, showing what a footballer could do. His goal, scored in 1961 in a match against Fluminense, when he single-handedly beat all the opponents from his penalty area to the opponent’s goal, was called the “goal of the century”.

The life of the legendary Pele after finishing his football career

Pele’s story doesn’t end with his retirement from professional sports. He signed a contract with Pepsi and coached teenage football players. In his spare time, he studied grammar in high school and then graduated from college in New York with a degree in economics.

He starred in more than fifty films. Mostly Pele played himself. The legendary footballer appeared in many commercials and so on.

Pele has done a lot for Brazilian football. When he was offered the post of Minister of Youth and Sports in the 2000s, he accepted. It was thanks to Pele that a law was passed in Brazil that allowed corruption in football to be almost completely eradicated.

Personal life

Pele was married three times. The footballer entered into his first official marriage in 1966. His chosen one was Rosemery dos Reis Xolbi. The marriage lasted 16 years, during which two daughters, Kelly and Jennifer, were born, as well as a son, Edson, named after his father. The boy also played football for the Santos club as a goalkeeper, but did not achieve the fame of his father. He was sentenced to 33 years for drugs.

Pele’s second wife was Assyria Seixas, whom he married in 1994. Pele became the father of opposite-sex twins – a boy named Joshua and a girl named Celeste. The footballer was not faithful to his wife. During their marriage, Pele even had two children from different girls. Divorce was inevitable.

Pele entered into his third and final marriage in 2016. His chosen one was Brazilian businesswoman Marcia Aoki of Japanese descent. They began dating in 2010, and had known each other since the mid-80s, but at that time, each of them was in a relationship. A chance meeting turned out to be fateful. Pele lived with Marcia Aoki until the end of his life.

Death of a Legend

The legendary footballer passed away on December 29, 2022. Pele died at the age of 83 after a long illness. The farewell ceremony was held at Santos’ home stadium, Vila Belmiro. Pele was buried on January 3, 2023, at the vertical cemetery in Santos. Three days of mourning were declared in Brazil.