Full name: Edison Arantes do Nascimento
Date of Birth: 23/10/1940
Date of Birth: 23/10/1940
Introduction
Edson
Arantes do Nascimento, more popularly known as Pelé, or 'The King
Pelé', or 'The King of Football'. Like many footballers, Pelé has
claimed to be the greatest footballer of all time, saying he was born
for football in the same way that ‘Beethoven was born for music’. Unlike
many other footballers, however, a lot of people agree with him, and in
2000 he received a FIFA award declaring him, alongside Diego Maradona,
the greatest player in the history of the game.
The Brazilian
national player retired some 30 years ago (in 1977), and yet he remains
the holder of a plethora of records, and he remains the only player ever
to have been a member of three World Cup winning teams. He continues to
top industry polls as the greatest player that ever was and as the
player who set the bar for today’s footballers - he even coined the term
‘the beautiful game’. His combination of energy, dedication, style and
arrogance continue to stun a still-growing army of fans, with videos on
Youtube recruiting the next generation of fans. Known both as a great
goalscorer and a scorer of great goals, his combination of grace and
technique set him apart, defining the greatest era in Brazilian
football’s illustrious history.
Biography
Edson
Arantes do Nascimento was born in the city of Três Corações on October
23rd, 1940. He was named after Thomas Edison, the American inventor and
engineer. As a boy, Pelé reportedly played football with a sock stuffed
with paper or a grapefruit as he could not afford a ball, and had to
work as a shoe-shiner to earn extra money. His nickname was given to him
by a school-friend - a variation on the name of his favourite
footballer ‘Bilé’, which he could not pronounce. Although he did not
like it at first, claiming it sounded like the Portugese for ‘baby’, it
would stick with him for the rest of his life.
His father
‘Dondinho’ was also a professional footballer, though not a remarkable
one, and despite his mother Celeste’s initial caution, Edson was
determined to follow in his father’s footsteps.
His first
football team was formed with a number of friends from his neighbourhood
- they called themselves ‘the shoeless ones’, and played in local
tournaments. He and other members of the team were spotted and recruited
to join a youth team managed by former Brazilian international Waldemar
de Brito. Pelé went on to join the Santos FC juniors at the age of
fifteen.
At the age of sixteen, he moved to Santos seniors
where he stayed for the greater part of his career. His exploits caught
the attention of the national side and, at the age of seventeen, he rose
to international stardom in the 1958 World Cup, scoring a hat-trick in
the semi-final and two goals in the final against Sweden. In the 1962
World Cup, he managed to score twice against Mexico before tearing a
thigh muscle which put him out of the tournament - though Brazil went on
to defend their title as World Champions.
In 1966, both Pelé
and his team were out of the tournament at a much earlier stage. With
Pelé injured again - but still able to play - they lost to Portugal in
the third round. It was a career low for Pelé, and he vowed never to
play in a World Cup again, but he went back on that promise in Mexico
City in 1970 with a spectacular return to form. In his final World Cup
match, the final against Italy, he notched the opener in a remarkable
team performance which resulted in a 4-1 victory.
Pelé
continued to play for Santos until 1974, though he retired from
international football, and when he finally left Santos the club marked
his leaving by removing the number 10 shirt from their line-up.
In
1975 he was tempted by American megabucks to come out of retirement and
play for New York Cosmos, where he stayed for another two years before
retiring for good. Even in retirement, however, Pele decided not to sit
back and collect the cheques and the accolades that his legendary status
has afforded him - he has continued his career in other directions.
Retirement
Since
retiring from football, Pelé has worked as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador
and as a United Nations ambassador, working to protect the environment
and combat corruption in Brazil. Pelé was, for a short while, Brazil’s
official minister for sport. He has also written multiple
autobiographies, worked as a scout for football clubs, appeared in
Hollywood films and even promoted Viagra and Pepsi during his decidedly
active retirement.
Clubs
- Bauru AC (Youth player - 1952 - 1956)
- Santos (1956 - 1974)
- New York Cosmos (1975 - 1977)
Statistics:
- Goals: 470 for Santos, 37 for New York Cosmos, 77 as an international for Brazil.
- International Caps: 92
Pelé
scored an average of one goal in every international game - 12 of these
game in the World Cup finals. His final tally of career goals was
1,283, the highest of any player in history.
They say
‘Pelé is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pelé’ - Cristiano Ronaldo
‘I
told myself before the game, he’s just made of skin and bone, like
everybody else. But I was wrong’ - Tarcisio Burgnich, defender who
marked Pelé in the 1970 World Cup Final
He says
‘Everything is practice’
‘A penalty is a cowardly way to score’
‘For
20 years they have been asking me the same question: who is the
greatest? Maradona or Pelé? I reply that all you have to do is look at
the facts. How many goals did he score with his right foot or with his
head?’
‘Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.’
Player Statistics
| Years | Name | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-74 | Santos | 412 | 470 |
| 1975-77 | New York Cosmos | 56 | 31 |
| 1957-71 | Brazil | 92 | 77 |
Awards and Honours
- International Olympic Committee Athlete of the Century: 1999
- FIFA Footballer of the Century: 2000
- Lareus Cosmos Award: 2000
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award: 2005
