Pelé : Biography
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| Pelé
Pelé : Biography
Born on October 23, 1940, in Três
Corações, Brazil, soccer legend Pelé became a superstar with his performance in
the 1958 World Cup. Pelé played professionally in Brazil for two decades,
winning three World Cups along the way, before joining the New York Cosmos late
in his career. Named FIFA co-Player of the Century in 1999, he is a global
ambassador for soccer and other humanitarian causes.
Pelé was born Edson Arantes do
Nascimento on October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil, the first child of
João Ramos and Dona Celeste. Named after Thomas Edison and nicknamed
"Dico," Pelé moved with his family to the city of Bauru as a young
boy.
João Ramos, better known as
"Dondinho," struggled to earn a living as a soccer player, and Pelé
grew up in poverty. Still, he developed a rudimentary talent for soccer by
kicking a rolled-up sock stuffed with rags around the streets of Bauru. The
origin of the "Pelé" nickname is unclear, though he recalled
despising it when his friends first referred to him that way.
As an adolescent, Pelé joined a youth
squad coached by Waldemar de Brito, a former member of the Brazilian national
soccer team. De Brito eventually convinced Pelé's family to let the budding
phenom leave home and try out for the Santos professional soccer club when he
was 15.
Soccer's
National Treasure
Pelé signed with Santos and
immediately started practicing with the team's regulars. He scored the first
professional goal of his career before he turned 16, led the league in goals in
his first full season and was recruited to play for the Brazilian national
team.
The world was officially introduced to
Pelé in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Displaying remarkable speed, athleticism
and field vision, the 17-year-old erupted to score three goals in a 5-2 semifinal
win over France, then netted two more in the finals, a 5-2 win over the host
country.
The young superstar received hefty
offers to play for European clubs, and Brazilian President Jânio Quadros
eventually had Pelé declared a national treasure, making it legally difficult
for him to play in another country. Regardless, Santos club ownership ensured
its star attraction was well paid by scheduling lucrative exhibition matches
with teams around the world.
More World Cup
Titles
Pelé aggravated a groin injury two
games into the 1962 World Cup in Chile, sitting out the final rounds while
Brazil went on to claim its second straight title. Four years later, in
England, a series of brutal attacks by opposing defenders again forced him to
the sidelines with leg injuries, and Brazil was bounced from the World Cup
after one round.
Despite the disappointment on the
world stage, the legend of Pelé continued to grow. In the late 1960s, the two
factions in the Nigerian Civil War reportedly agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire so
they could watch Pelé play in an exhibition game in Lagos.
The 1970 World Cup in Mexico marked a
triumphant return to glory for Pelé and Brazil. Headlining a formidable squad,
Pelé scored four goals in the tournament, including one in the final to give Brazil
a 4-1 victory over Italy.
Pelé announced his retirement from
soccer in 1974, but he was lured back to the field the following year to play
for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League, and temporarily
helped make the NASL a big attraction. He played his final game in an
exhibition between New York and Santos in October 1977, competing for both
sides, and retired with a total of 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.
The Legend Lives
On
Retirement did little to diminish the
public profile of Pelé, who remained a popular pitchman and active in many
professional arenas.
In 1978, Pelé was awarded the
International Peace Award for his work with UNICEF. He has also served as
Brazil's Extraordinary Minister for Sport and a United Nations ambassador for
ecology and the environment.
Pelé was named FIFA's "Co-Player
of the Century" in 1999, along with Argentine Diego Maradona. To many, his
accomplishments on the soccer field will never be equaled, and virtually all
great athletes in the sport are measured against the Brazilian who once made
the world stop to watch his transcendent play.
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