Pelé - A Famous Soccer-Player from Brazil

 

Pelé

A Famous Soccer-Player from Brazil 

Pelé was a famous soccer player from Brazil. He was really good at playing as a forward, which is a player who tries to score goals. Many people think he's one of the best players ever. He was super successful and liked by many people in the 1900s.

He got some really important awards, like being called the Athlete of the Century by a group that organizes sports events. He was also on a list of the 100 most important people of the 1900s. Another time, he was chosen as the best player of the century by a group that knows a lot about soccer history. He also won an award from FIFA, which is like the boss of soccer, for being one of the best players.

He scored a lot of goals – 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which is a world record that's written in the Guinness World Records book.

Pelé started playing for Santos when he was 15 and for the Brazil national team when he was 16. He won three times in the World Cup, which is a huge soccer tournament. He's the only player to win it three times, and he was the youngest player to win when he was only 17 years old. People called him "The King" after he won the World Cup in 1958.

He scored 77 goals for Brazil in 92 games. For his club, Santos, he scored 643 goals in 659 games. He helped Santos win some big tournaments.

People loved to watch him play because he was really exciting and scored amazing goals. He was so famous that his teams traveled around the world to play, so people everywhere could see him in action. He was paid a lot of money when he was playing, and for a while, he was the athlete who earned the most money in the whole world.

After he stopped playing in 1977, Pelé became like a global ambassador for soccer. He did some acting and business stuff too. In 2010, he was made the special president of the New York Cosmos, a soccer team.

Pelé was really good at kicking the ball with both feet and knowing where to go on the field. He could score goals and help his teammates score too. In Brazil, he was a big hero not just for soccer, but also because he supported things that could make life better for poor people. When he played in the 1958 World Cup, he became a star and inspired a lot of people around the world.

Throughout his career, Pelé got many awards and honors for how well he played and for what he did for soccer. People still remember him as one of the greatest players ever.

 

Early years

When Pelé was a young boy, he was born in a place called Três Corações in Brazil. There is a statue of him in the city where he was born. He also has a street named after him there. His real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. He was born on October 23, 1940. His dad used to play football, and his mom's name is Celeste Arantes. He had a brother named Zoca. Pelé got his name because he mispronounced the name of his favorite goalkeeper when he was in school. He was called "Dico" by his family at first. Later, he got the nickname "Pelé," but he didn't know what it meant.

Pelé grew up in a place called Bauru in São Paulo, Brazil. His family didn't have a lot of money, so he had to work in tea shops to earn extra money. His dad taught him how to play football, but they couldn't afford a real ball. He used a sock filled with newspaper or a grapefruit to play instead. When he was young, he played for different teams like Sete de Setembro, Canto do Rio, São Paulinho, and Ameriquinha.

He was really good at football, even when he played indoors. He played in a type of indoor football called futsal. Pelé and his team won the first championship in futsal, and he liked it because it was fast and made him think quickly. He started playing with older people when he was about 14. In one tournament, people thought he was too young to play, but he ended up scoring the most goals and that made him feel confident. He learned not to be scared of challenges. 

Club career

Santos

From 1956 to 1962

In 1956, when Pelé was just 15 years old, a man named de Brito brought him to Santos, a city near São Paulo. De Brito told the people who ran the Santos FC soccer team that Pelé was going to be the best player in the world. The coach of Santos, Lula, liked what he saw when Pelé tried out at the Vila Belmiro Stadium. So, in June 1956, Pelé signed a contract to play soccer professionally for Santos FC. The newspapers and TV talked a lot about Pelé, saying he would become a big star. He played his first official game for Santos on September 7, 1956. He was only 15, but he scored a goal in a big win.

By the time 1957 came around, Pelé was a regular player for Santos and even became the top goal scorer in the league, all at just 16 years old! Less than a year after joining Santos, he was chosen to play for the Brazil national team. After the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, some of the richest European soccer clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United wanted to sign Pelé, but they couldn't. Even though they offered a lot of money, Pelé stayed with Santos because the fans loved him so much. In 1961, the government of Brazil made a special rule to keep Pelé in the country, saying he was like a treasure that couldn't be taken away.

Pelé won his first big trophy with Santos in 1958. They won a tournament called Campeonato Paulista, and he scored 58 goals, which is still a record today. He also helped Santos win another tournament called Torneio Rio-São Paulo in 1959. Even though they couldn't keep the Campeonato Paulista title in 1959, they got it back in 1960 with Pelé scoring 33 goals. Santos won the Taça Brasil that year, which let them play in a big competition called Copa Libertadores.

From 1962 to 1965: Success in Copa Libertadores

In 1962, Santos did really well in the Copa Libertadores. This is a big competition for soccer clubs in South America. They won their group matches and beat other strong teams like Peñarol to win the championship. Pelé scored a lot of goals during this time. He even helped Santos win the Intercontinental Cup against Benfica, a famous team from Portugal.

Pelé scored a goal in a special match in 1961, and he thinks it's his best goal ever. He ran from his own side of the field to the other and scored a fantastic goal. In 1963, Santos did great again in the Copa Libertadores. They beat teams like Botafogo and Boca Juniors to win the championship. Pelé scored important goals during these matches. Santos was the first Brazilian team to win the Copa Libertadores in Argentina. Pelé also helped Santos win other tournaments during this time.

In 1964 and 1965, Santos did well but didn't win the Copa Libertadores. They won some other tournaments, though. Pelé was still scoring a lot of goals and helping his team.

From 1966 to 1974: More Achievements and Final Years

In 1966, Santos couldn't win the Taça Brasil again. They lost to a team called Cruzeiro. But they won the Campeonato Paulista in the following years. In 1969, Pelé scored his 1,000th goal in a big game. People were excited about this amazing achievement. Pelé even played in a game that brought a temporary break to a war happening in Nigeria. People wanted to see him play so much that they stopped fighting for a while.

After many years with Santos, Pelé left Brazilian soccer in 1974. During his time with Santos, he played with many talented players and made a lot of great memories. He scored a total of 643 goals for Santos, which was a record until Lionel Messi broke it in 2020 while playing for Barcelona. 

New York Cosmos

Pelé, a famous soccer player, signed a soccer ball for the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, at the White House in 1973. This happened two years before he joined the New York Cosmos, a soccer team.

After playing for his Brazilian club, Santos, for 19 seasons, Pelé retired from club soccer in 1974. But he still played sometimes for Santos in official matches. A year later, he decided to come back to play and signed with the New York Cosmos, a team in the United States. This was for the 1975 season. The Cosmos introduced Pelé in a big press event in New York, and people were very excited to meet him.

Even though Pelé wasn't as young as before, he helped make more people interested in soccer in the United States. When he first appeared in Boston, many fans were eager to see him, but a crowd got too close, and he got hurt. They had to carry him off on a stretcher.

Pelé's first game with the Cosmos was on June 15, 1975, against the Dallas Tornado. He scored a goal in a game that ended in a tie. Pelé's presence in the United States encouraged other famous soccer players like Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Johan Cruyff, Eusébio, Bobby Moore, George Best, and Gordon Banks to also play in the US.

In 1975, just before the Lebanese Civil War began, Pelé played a friendly game for a Lebanese club called Nejmeh. He scored two goals in that game. Many fans came to watch the match.

Pelé played with the Cosmos for three seasons. In 1977, he helped lead the team to the Soccer Bowl, a big championship match. In one game, more than 60,000 fans came to see Pelé score three goals. He finished his official playing career in August 1977 by leading the Cosmos to another Soccer Bowl victory.

On October 1, 1977, Pelé ended his career by playing in an exhibition match between the Cosmos and his old team, Santos. The game was at a full stadium and was shown on TV. Pelé played the first half with the Cosmos and the second half with Santos. He scored a goal from far away in that game. After the game, it rained, and a newspaper wrote that even the sky was crying because Pelé's career had come to an end.

 

International career

Pelé played soccer for Brazil's national team. His first game was against Argentina in 1957, where Brazil lost 2-1. But Pelé scored his first goal in that game. He was only 16 years old at that time, and he's still the youngest player to score for Brazil.

In the 1958 World Cup, Pelé helped Brazil win. He was hurt before the tournament, but his teammates wanted him to play. He played against the USSR and gave an assist for a goal. He was really young, the youngest ever to play in a World Cup. In a game against France, he scored three goals in one half, which was a big deal.

In the final of that World Cup, Pelé played against Sweden. He was only 17 and became the youngest player to play in a World Cup final. He scored two goals, and Brazil won 5-2. One of his goals was amazing, and people still talk about it as one of the best in World Cup history.

Pelé played more World Cups. In 1962, he got injured and couldn't play the rest of the tournament, but Brazil won. In 1966, Brazil didn't do well and got eliminated early. Pelé got hurt in that tournament because of some tough tackles from opponents.

In the 1970 World Cup, Pelé was a key player again. Brazil's team was really good. They had players like Jairzinho, Gérson, and Rivelino. Pelé helped his team reach the final. In the final, he scored a goal with his head and made great passes for his teammates to score. Brazil won the final 4-1, and Pelé was the best player of the tournament.

Pelé played his last international game in 1971. He was a fantastic player, and when he and another great player Garrincha were on the field together, Brazil never lost a match.

Pelé is remembered as one of the greatest soccer players in history. He achieved many amazing things during his career and brought a lot of happiness to soccer fans around the world. 

Style of play

Pelé was a famous football player from Brazil. He played really well and was good at scoring goals. He could kick the ball with both feet and was very accurate and powerful. He was also great at passing the ball to his teammates and helping them score.

At first, he played in different parts of the field, sometimes near the goal and sometimes farther away. As he got older, he played more in the middle of the field and helped create scoring opportunities for his team. He had a special way of playing that mixed speed, tricks, and strong physical abilities. He was good at getting past other players by quickly changing direction and using fancy moves.

Even though he wasn't very tall, he was good at heading the ball into the goal. He was also really good at bending the ball when he kicked it, and he could take free kicks and penalties really well. He didn't like taking penalties much, though, because he thought it was an easy way to score.

Pelé was not only a great player but also a good leader and a fair player. There's a famous picture of him hugging another player named Bobby Moore after a game, showing respect and friendship between them. He was known for scoring important goals when his team needed them the most.

 

Legacy

Pelé was a really amazing soccer player. He won the World Cup three times, which no one else has done. In 1970, he won the World Cup and was lifted up by his teammates in celebration. People loved him a lot. They say he's one of the best soccer players ever.

Back in the day, when he played, everyone thought he was incredible. People from other countries would shout his name, "Pelé!" because they thought he was so good. He was known as "The King" because of how great he was. Even other famous soccer players like Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer said Pelé was the best.

Pelé did things on the soccer field that seemed impossible. His teammates and opponents all admired him. Even when he wasn't playing, he was a friendly and happy person. People around the world loved him so much that they wanted to touch him or even kiss the ground he walked on.

Pelé once said that while everyone knows him as Pelé, his real name is Edson. He talked about how he's just a regular person and will eventually pass away like anyone else. But his legacy, the memory of him, will keep going on forever.

Other famous soccer players like Ferenc Puskás, Just Fontaine, Bobby Moore, and Bobby Charlton all praised Pelé's skills. They said he was like a magician on the field, doing things that nobody else could. People even joked that he was like a god of soccer.

After Pelé passed away, many other soccer players like Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos thanked him for everything he did for the sport. They said his influence will be remembered for a long, long time. 

Applause

After Pelé stopped playing, many people like players, coaches, and reporters continued to praise him. Zico, a Brazilian player, said that talking about the best player ever is silly because the answer is only Pelé. He thinks Pelé is the greatest player ever. Michel Platini, who won a special soccer award three times, said there are two sides to Pelé: Pelé the man and Pelé the player. Playing like Pelé means playing like a god. Even though Diego Maradona and Pelé didn't get along well, Maradona still thought Pelé was an amazing player. Romário, a famous Brazilian striker, who also won a big soccer tournament, sees Pelé as a god-like figure. Cristiano Ronaldo, who won a special soccer award five times, believes Pelé is the best player in soccer history and there can only be one Pelé. José Mourinho, a coach who won a special soccer tournament two times, thinks Pelé is like the most special person in soccer. Alfredo Di Stéfano, who used to play soccer and now is a president, said that Pelé is the best player ever, even though Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are also very good in their own ways.

Giving Pelé a special award called the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award, Nelson Mandela, who used to be the leader of South Africa, said that when people watched Pelé play soccer, it was like seeing a happy child who could also move gracefully like a grown-up.

Another person named Henry Kissinger, who knows a lot about politics and sports, said that Pelé didn't just play soccer like a regular person. He played so well that he went beyond what most people can do, just like a superstar goes beyond what's normal.

Once, a reporter asked Pelé if he was as famous as Jesus, who is known by many people all over the world. Pelé joked and said that in some places, Jesus might not be as well-known.

An artist named Andy Warhol, who made a painting of Pelé, joked that Pelé would be famous for a really, really long time – not just for a short moment like he thought most famous people were.

A newspaper called The Guardian said that Pelé basically invented the idea of being a really famous sports player known all over the world. They said that this was something unique that can't be done again.

In the year 2000, a group that knows a lot about soccer history picked Pelé as the best player of the century. In 1999, an important sports group chose him as the best athlete of the century. A magazine called Time also said he was one of the most important people of the 1900s. When Pelé played soccer, he made a lot of money and was even the highest-paid athlete in the world for some time.

Pelé was really good at scoring amazing goals, and this made people all around the world love him. He was so popular that the teams he played for traveled to different countries.

While he played, people gave him cool nicknames like "The Black Pearl," "The King of Football," and simply "The King."

In 2014, a city in Brazil called Santos opened a museum all about Pelé. This museum has a huge collection of things related to Pelé, and it cost a lot of money to build. It's in an old fancy house from the 1800s.

Kids and young people who go to the Pelé Museum in Santos, Brazil, can learn about the famous soccer player Pelé. In 2014, the museum opened its doors.

In January of that same year, Pelé received a special award called the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur. This award was given to him because he had done a lot for soccer around the world. France Football, a magazine that gives out another soccer award called the Ballon d'Or, looked back to 1956 and said that if their award had been around since then, Pelé would have won it seven times! Even though the past winners of the Ballon d'Or stayed the same.

In 2020, Pelé was also chosen to be part of the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, which is a team made up of the greatest soccer players of all time.

According to a soccer statistics group, Pelé was really good at scoring goals. He scored 538 goals in regular league games. In total, he scored 775 goals in 840 official matches. Throughout his whole career, including practice games and matches played just for fun, he scored a total of 1,301 goals in 1,390 games. This makes him one of the top goal-scorers in soccer history. Even after he retired in 1977, he played eight games for fun and scored three more goals. 

Personal life

In 1966, Pelé got married to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi. They had two daughters, Kely Cristina (born on 13 January 1967) and Jennifer (born in 1978), and one son, Edson ("Edinho", born on 27 August 1970). But their marriage ended in 1982.

Pelé's son, Edinho, got in trouble in May 2014 for helping with illegal money from selling drugs. He was originally given a 33-year punishment, but it got reduced to 12 years and 10 months later.

Between 1981 and 1986, Pelé was in a romantic relationship with a TV presenter named Xuxa. She was 17 years old when they started dating.

In April 1994, Pelé got married again, this time to a psychologist and singer named Assíria Lemos Seixas. She gave birth to twins, Joshua and Celeste, on 28 September 1996. They had some help from doctors to have these babies. But this marriage ended in 2008.

Pelé had more children from other relationships. One of them is Sandra Machado, who was born because of a relationship Pelé had with a housemaid named Anizia Machado in 1964. Sandra wanted Pelé to recognize her as his daughter, and it took a long time for Pelé to agree to a special test that showed she was indeed his daughter. Unfortunately, Sandra passed away from cancer in 2006.

When Pelé was 73 years old, he said he wanted to marry a woman named Marcia Aoki. She was 41 years old and was from Japan and Brazil. They had been dating since 2010, and they first met a long time ago in the 1980s in New York. They got married in July 2016.

 

Politics

In January 1995, he became the sports minister after being chosen by Fernando Cardoso, the leader of the country. While he was in charge, he suggested many changes to stop corruption in local football groups. But he left this job on 30 April 1998.

In 2013, when there were big protests in Brazil, Pelé said he wanted people to stop the protests and help the national soccer team of Brazil.

Then, on 1 June 2022, Pelé wrote a letter on his Instagram to Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia. In the letter, he asked Putin to stop the bad and unfair invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.

 

Religion

Pelé, who is a Catholic, gave Pope Francis a special shirt with his name on it. The shirt had his signature, like a fancy name written by him. Along with this shirt, there was also a special ball signed by another famous player named Ronaldo Nazario. These special items are now kept in one of the Vatican Museums, like a place where people can go to see interesting and important things.

 

Health

In 1977, news in Brazil said Pelé had one of his kidneys removed. In November 2012, he had an operation on his hip that went well. In December 2017, Pelé was in a wheelchair when he appeared at an event for the 2018 World Cup. He was seen with Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, and Diego Maradona, a football player from Argentina.

About a month later, Pelé got very tired and collapsed. He had to go to the hospital. In 2019, he had to stay in the hospital because he had an infection in his urinary tract. He had surgery to remove stones from his kidney. In February 2020, Pelé's son Edinho said Pelé couldn't walk well on his own. He didn't want to leave home much. Edinho said this was because Pelé didn't do enough exercises after his hip operation.

In September 2021, Pelé had another surgery. This time, doctors took out a growth from his colon, which is a part of the body's digestion system. Pelé's daughter Kely said he was doing okay after the surgery. But a few days later, he had to go back to intensive care in the hospital. Finally, on September 30, 2021, he was allowed to leave the hospital. He started getting chemotherapy, a special kind of treatment for illness.

In November 2022, a TV channel in Brazil called ESPN Brasil said Pelé had gone to the hospital again. This time, he had swelling all over his body, and his heart was also having problems. People were worried because it seemed like the chemotherapy wasn't working as well as it should. Pelé's daughter Kely said it wasn't an emergency, though. 

After football

In 1994, Pelé became a special helper for a group that tries to make the world better, called UNESCO. In 1995, a leader in Brazil chose Pelé to be in charge of sports. While he was in this job, he made a rule to stop cheating in Brazilian soccer, and it was called the "Pelé law." In 1998, this job was no longer needed, so it stopped.

In 2001, people said Pelé did something wrong with money that was supposed to help kids. They said he took money and didn't give it back, but there was no proof, and the group that gives money said it didn't happen. In 1997, a very important person in England gave Pelé a special title. He also helped start a big soccer event in 2006 with a famous model.

In 1993, Pelé said a person in charge of soccer in Brazil was doing bad things. This was because Pelé's TV company didn't win a contest for showing soccer games in Brazil. This made them very angry at each other for eight years. Because of this fight, another important person in soccer said Pelé couldn't help with a big event in 1994.

Once, in 1976, Pelé was in a place called Nigeria for work. There was trouble, and he had to stay in a hotel with other famous players. They had to leave and hide at someone's house because they couldn't go home. Pelé pretended to be a pilot to leave the country.

Pelé wrote books about his life, acted in movies, and even made music. He was in a movie in 1981 with famous actors. He also acted in a TV show about meeting aliens from space. In 2001, he had a small part in a funny movie about soccer. He was asked to be in a documentary but didn't want to be in it because they didn't give him enough money.

In 2007, Pelé visited England and celebrated a very old soccer team's birthday. He was very important at their special match. He also showed people the old rules of soccer. Pelé helped a soccer team in 2002 and helped pick the groups for a big soccer event in 2006. He also became the special leader of a soccer team in New York.

Pelé did many good things after he stopped playing soccer. He helped the environment and got awards for his work. He helped his city get the Olympics and talked about ending hunger. He was part of big events in the Olympics. He even had a problem with a company that used his face, but they fixed it later.

Besides his work, Pelé also helped many charities. He sold his things and gave the money to help kids. He started his own group to help kids who don't have much.

 

Death and funeral

On December 21, 2022, the hospital where Pelé was getting medical help said that his illness had gotten worse. He needed more care because his kidneys and heart weren't working well. This meant he couldn't go home for Christmas like his family wanted. Sadly, on December 29, 2022, at 3:27 pm, Pelé passed away. He was 82 years old. The reason for his passing was that many parts of his body stopped working, and this happened because of his colon cancer. The paper that shows how he died said it was because his kidneys, heart, and lungs stopped working, and he also had a type of cancer in his colon. He left behind his mother, Celeste, who was 100 years old. Because she was so old, she didn't really understand that her son had passed away. Pelé's sister, Maria Lucia do Nascimento, said their mother was in her own little world.

"He had a magnetic presence and, when you were with him, the rest of the world stopped. Today, the whole world mourns the loss of Pelé; the greatest footballer of all time."

—FIFA President, Gianni Infantino

Pelé, the famous soccer player, passed away. People held a big event to remember him. They put his body in a special box for people to see. The box had flags from Brazil and Santos FC on it. This event started on January 2, 2023, at a place called Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos.

Lots of fans came to see him. Some had to wait for a long time in a line to see him. This event went on for a few days, until January 3. More than 230,000 people came to this event. Many of them wore the same kind of jerseys that Pelé used to wear when he played soccer.

The TV channels in Brazil stopped their normal shows to show this event on TV. Pelé's family, important soccer people, and even the president of Brazil came to this event.

After this event, they buried Pelé in a special place called Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica.

Also, in another country called Rwanda, they named a stadium after Pelé in March 2023. This happened during a big meeting of important soccer people. And in April 2023, the word "Pelé" got a special meaning in a Portuguese dictionary. It means something exceptional and unique. This happened because a lot of people signed a campaign asking for it.