Edson Arantes do Nascimento (23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes exhibition games, is recognised as a Guinness World Record. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century, alongside Diego Maradona.
Pelé began playing for the Brazilian club Santos at age 15, and for the Brazil national team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cup titles – in 1958, 1962, and 1970 – becoming the only player to do so and the youngest to win a World Cup, at just 17 years old. He was nicknamed "O Rei" ("the King") following the 1958 World Cup. With 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil, Pelé held the record as the national team's top goalscorer for over fifty years. At club level, Pelé is Santos' all-time top goalscorer with 643 goals in 659 games. In a golden era for Santos, Pelé led the club to victory at the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores and at the 1962 and 1963 Intercontinental Cup.
Credited with connecting the phrase "The Beautiful Game" with football, Pelé's tremendous skill and penchant for spectacular goals made him a global star, and his teams toured internationally to take full advantage of his popularity. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the highest-paid athlete in the world.Michelle Roehm McCann (2012). "Boys Who Rocked the World: Heroes from King Tut to Bruce Lee". p. 140. Simon and Schuster After retiring in 1977, he was a worldwide ambassador for football and undertook acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the honorary president of the New York Cosmos.
Pelé averaged almost a goal per game throughout his career and could strike the ball with either foot. While predominantly a striker, he could also be a playmaker, providing assists with his vision and passing ability. In Brazil, he was hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football and for his outspoken support of policies to benefit the poor. His emergence at the 1958 World Cup, where he became a Black global sporting star, was a source of inspiration. Throughout his career and in his retirement, Pelé received numerous individual and team awards for his performance on the field, his record-breaking achievements, and his legacy in the sport.
Early life Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23 October 1940 in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He was the son of Fluminense footballer Dondinho (born João Ramos do Nascimento) and Celeste Arantes. He had a younger brother, Zoca, who would also play for Santos. Pelé was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison. His parents decided to remove the "i" and call him "Edson", but there was an error on his birth certificate, leading many documents to show his name as "Edison". He was called "Edson" by his family, who also gave him the nickname "Dico". On the origin of his nickname "Pelé", he said it probably emerged after he mispronounced the name of his favourite player, Bilé, a goalkeeper for Vasco da Gama. In his 2006 autobiography, Pelé said he had no idea what the name meant, nor did his school friends.
Pelé grew up in poverty in Bauru in the state of São Paulo. He earned money by working in tea shops as a server. Taught to play football by his father, he could not afford a proper ball and usually played with either a grapefruit or a sock stuffed with newspaper. He played for several amateur teams in his youth, including Sete de Setembro, Canto do Rio, São Paulinho, and Ameriquinha. Pelé led Bauru Atlético Clube juniors (coached by Waldemar de Brito) to two São Paulo state youth championships. In his mid-teens, a type of indoor football called futsal was becoming popular in Bauru, and Pelé played for a futsal team called Radium. He played in the first futsal competition in the region, and he and his team won the first championship and several others.
According to Pelé, the gameplay of futsal was much quicker than football on grass, and players had to think faster because everyone was close to each other on the pitch. He credits futsal for helping him think better on the spot. In addition, futsal allowed him to play with adults when he was about 14 years old. In one of the tournaments he played in, he was initially considered too young to play, but ultimately became the top scorer with 14 or 15 goals. "That gave me a lot of confidence", Pelé said. "I knew then not to be afraid of whatever might come". Pelé named Brazilian playmaker Zizinho among his inspirations growing up.
Club career
Santos
1956–1962: Early years with Santos and being declared a national treasure In 1956, Waldemar de Brito took Pelé to Santos, an industrial port city located near São Paulo, to try out for the professional club Santos FC. He told the club's directors that the 15-year-old would be "the greatest football player in the world". Pelé impressed Santos coach Lula during his trial at the Estádio Vila Belmiro, and he signed a professional contract with the club in June 1956. Pelé was highly promoted in the local media as a future superstar. He made his senior team debut on 7 September 1956 at the age of 15 against Corinthians de Santo André and had an impressive performance in a 7–1 victory, scoring the first goal in his prolific career during the match.When the 1957 season started, Pelé was given a starting place on the Santos senior team. At the age of 16, he became the top scorer in their league, the Campeonato Paulista. In 1958, Pelé helped the team win the Campeonato Paulista trophy, his first major title with the team. He again finished the season as the league's top scorer, with 58 goals, a record that still stands today. A year later, he helped Santos earn their first victory in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo. Ten months after signing professionally, Pelé was called up to the Brazil national team. After the 1958 World Cup, wealthy European clubs, such as Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United, tried to sign him in vain. In 1958, Inter Milan managed to get him a contract, but the club's owner Angelo Moratti tore it up at the request of Santos's chairman following a revolt by Santos's fans. Valencia CF arranged an agreement that would have brought Pelé to the club after the 1958 World Cup, but after his performances at the tournament, Santos declined to let him leave.
During the 1960 season, Pelé scored 34 goals as Santos regained the Campeonato Paulista trophy. During the 1961 season, Pelé scored 47 goals as his team won both the Campeonato Paulista and the Taça Brasil. The Taça victory allowed Santos to participate in the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club tournament in the Western hemisphere. In 1961, the government of Brazil under President Jânio Quadros declared Pelé an "official national treasure" to prevent him from being transferred out of the country.
1962–1965: Copa Libertadores success Santos's most successful Copa Libertadores season started in 1962. They defeated Universidad Católica in the semi-finals and triumphed 3–0 over defending champions Peñarol in the finals. Pelé scored twice in the final match, and was the second top scorer of the competition with four goals. That same year, Santos successfully defended the Campeonato Paulista with 37 goals from Pelé, as well as the Taça Brasil. Santos also won the 1962 Intercontinental Cup against Benfica. Pelé produced one of the best performances of his career, scoring a hat-trick in Lisbon as Santos won 5–2. Following the match, Benfica goalkeeper Costa Pereira remarked, "I arrived hoping to stop a great man, but I went away convinced I had been undone by someone who was not born on the same planet as the rest of us."
Pelé said his most memorable goal was scored against Clube Atlético Juventus on 2 August 1959. As there is no video footage of this match, Pelé asked that a computer animation be made of this specific goal. In March 1961, Santos played against Fluminense at the Maracanã stadium. Near the end of the first half, Pelé received the ball on the edge of his own penalty area, then ran the length of the field, eluding opposing players with feints, before striking the ball beyond the goalkeeper. According to the newspaper O Globo, Pelé's goal earned him a two-minute standing ovation from the crowd, including Fluminense fans. Several days later, a plaque was mounted on the wall of the stadium with a dedication to "the most beautiful goal in the history of the Maracanã". The goal became known as the gol de placa, "the goal of the plaque". Over the years, this phrase found its way into Brazilian footballing vocabulary as a way to describe a remarkable goal worthy of commemoration.
As the defending champions, Santos qualified automatically to the semi-final stage of the 1963 Copa Libertadores. They overcame a Botafogo team that featured the Brazilian superstars Garrincha and Jairzinho, and with five goals from Pelé throughout the tournament, Santos claimed the title once again. Santos lost the Campeonato Paulista after finishing in third place, but went on to win the Rio-São Paulo tournament. Pelé also helped Santos retain the Intercontinental Cup and the Taça Brasil.
Santos was eliminated from the 1964 Copa Libertadores in the semi-finals by Independiente, but managed to win the 1964 Campeonato Paulista, with Pelé scoring 34 goals. The club won the Taça Brasil for the fourth consecutive year and shared the 1964 Rio-São Paulo title with Botafogo. Pelé was the top scorer of the 1965 Copa Libertadores with eight goals, although Santos was eliminated by Peñarol.
1965–1974: O Milésimo and final years with Santos
In December 1965, Santos won the Taça Brasil, their fifth straight Brazilian league title. The following year, the club failed to retain the Taça Brasil, but won the Campeonato Paulista in 1967, 1968, and 1969. On 19 November 1969, Pelé scored his 1,000th goal in all competitions, in what was a highly anticipated moment in Brazil. The goal, dubbed O Milésimo, "The Thousandth", occurred when Pelé scored from a penalty kick against Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã Stadium.
Various sources have said that the 2 factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire in 1969 so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game in Lagos. An early source for this story was Ebony magazine in 1975. Santos played to a 2–2 draw with the Lagos team Stationary Stores FC, with Pelé scoring his team's goals; the civil war continued for another year after the game. In his autobiography, Pelé said he was unsure if there was a ceasefire, but said there was increased security at the game. Some sources, including Santos's website, say that the ceasefire was instead for an exhibition game in Benin City. Local researchers have not found any contemporary reports of the Lagos ceasefire.