Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward who played for the Brazil national team and is best known for his time at Santos. Pele is widely considered to be the best football player of his time and of all times. He won three FIFA World Cups and was named the FIFA co-Player of the Century in 1999.

He passed away on December 29th, 2022, at the age of 82 due to multiple organ failure.

Early Life

Pele, was born on October 23, 1940, in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He grew up in poverty and started playing football barefoot on the streets of Bauru, a city in the state of São Paulo. He developed his skills playing for various amateur teams, including Sete de Setembro and Ameriquinha.

At the age of 15, Pele was spotted by a former Brazilian national team player named Waldemar de Brito, who was impressed by his skills and recommended him to Santos FC, a major football club in Brazil. Pele joined Santos in 1956 and quickly established himself as one of the most promising young players in the country.

Club Career

He made his professional debut for Santos at the age of 16 in 1956 and helped the team win its first Campeonato Paulista, a major state championship in Brazil. In 1958, Pele helped Santos win the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South America, for the first time in their history. He also played a key role in Santos' victory in the Intercontinental Cup that year, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over AC Milan.

Pele continued to lead Santos to success throughout the 1960s, winning numerous domestic and international titles, including six Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles, two Intercontinental Cups, and two more Copa Libertadores. He spent the majority of his club career playing for Santos FC, where he scored an incredible 643 goals in 656 matches.

In 1975, Pelé agreed to a $7 million contract with the New York Cosmos and made the NASL a big attraction. He played there for three seasons, scoring 66 goals in 107 appearances. He won the North American Soccer League there in 1977, before retiring at the end of the season.

International Career

Pele made his international debut in 1957 at the age of 16 against Argentina in a 1-2 defeat at the Maracana. He scored a goal on his debut to become the youngest to score for Brazil at 16 years and 9 months. He went on to have a highly successful international career, winning three World Cups.

He was a key player in Brazil's 1958 World Cup-winning squad, scoring six goals in the tournament, including two in the final against Sweden. In the 1962 World Cup, which Brazil also won, Pele played in only two games due to injury but still managed to score a goal.

The 1966 FIFA World Cup turned out to be a disappointing one for both Pelé and Brazil as the star player faced a number of brutal challenges and was injured as a result. Brazil was knocked out in the group stage.

Pele returned to have one last shot at the World Cup in 1970 and teamed up with young stars like Jairzinho and Rivelino to claim Brazil’s third World Cup. Pelé ended his World Cup career scoring 12 goals in 14 games.

In total, Pele scored 77 goals in 92 appearances for the Brazilian national team, before retiring from international duty in 1971.

Records

• Joint-most goals for Brazil's national football team: 77 (95 including unofficial friendlies) (tied with Neymar)

• Highest goals-per-game ratio for Brazil's national football team: 0.84

• Highest goals-per-game ratio of any South American top international scorer: 0.84

• Highest goals-per-game ratio of any leading scorer in the Intercontinental Cup: 2.33

• Most goals in the Intercontinental Cup: 7

• Most goals for Santos: 643 (in 659 competitive games)

• Most goals for Santos: 1091 (including friendlies)

• Most appearances for Santos: 1116

• Most goals within a single Brazilian top-flight league season: 58

• Most goals scored in a single Campeonato Paulista season: 58 (in 38 competitive games,1958)

• Most goals scored in a single Campeonato Paulista match: 8 (1964)

• Most goals scored in Campeonato Paulista history: 466

• Most seasons as Campeonato Paulista Top Scorer: 11

• Most consecutive seasons as Campeonato Paulista Top Scorer: 9 (1957-1965)

• Most goals in a calendar year (including friendlies, recognized by FIFA): 127 (1959)

• Guinness World Record for most career goals in world football (including friendlies): 1,283 (in 1,363 games)

• Guinness World Record for most hat-tricks in world football: 92

• Most hat-tricks for Brazil: 7

• Most FIFA World Cup winners' medals: 3 (1958, 1962, 1970)

• Youngest winner of a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)

• Youngest goalscorer in a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 239 days (for Brazil vs Wales, 1958)

• Youngest player to score twice in a FIFA World Cup semi-final: aged 17 years and 244 days (for Brazil vs France, 1958)

• Youngest player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 244 days (for Brazil vs France, 1958)

• Youngest player to play in a FIFA World Cup Final: aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)

• Youngest goalscorer in a FIFA World Cup Final: aged 17 years and 249 days (for Brazil vs Sweden, 1958)

• Youngest player to play for Brazil in a FIFA World Cup: aged 17 years and 234 days

• Youngest player to debut for Brazil national football team: aged 16 years and 259 days (Brazil vs Argentina, 1957)

• Youngest goalscorer for Brazil national football team: aged 16 years and 259 days (Brazil vs Argentina, 1957)

• Youngest Top Scorer in the Campeonato Paulista

• First player to score in three successive FIFA World Cups

• Scored in two FIFA World Cup Finals for winning teams (shared with Vavá)

• Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup history: 10 (1958–1970)

• Most assists provided in a single FIFA World Cup tournament: 6 (1970)

• Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup Final matches: 3 (1 in 1958 and 2 in 1970)

• Most assists provided in FIFA World Cup knockout phase: 6 (shared with Messi)

• Most goals from open play in FIFA World Cup Final matches: 3 (2 in 1958 and 1 in 1970) (shared with Vavá, Geoff Hurst and Zinedine Zidane)

Awards and Achievements

Personal Life

Pele was involved in various business ventures throughout his career, including sports marketing and advertising. He was also a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment since 1992, and in 2007, he was appointed as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

He was a Catholic Christian and even donated a signed jersey to Pope Francis. It is located to this day in the Vatican museums.

Net Worth

Prior to his death at the end of 2022, his net worth was estimated to be around $100 million.

Family

Pele was born to a football-playing father named Dondinho and his mother, Celeste Arantes. He had two siblings, Zeca and Maria Lucia.

Pele married his first wife, Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi, in 1966, and they had three children together: Kelly Cristina, Edson, and Jennifer. Edson followed in his father's footsteps and became a professional football player.

After his divorce from Rosemeri, Pele married Assíria Lemos Seixas in 1994. They have two children together, Joshua and Celeste.

Wife

In 2016, Pele married 41-year-old Marcia Aoki. They had been dating since 2010 and were still together until the Brazilian’s passing.

Houses

One of his most famous properties is a beachfront villa in Guarujá, a coastal town in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The property is known as Casa Pele and features a private beach, swimming pool, tennis court, and other luxury amenities.

Pele has also owned properties in other countries, including Portugal, where he owns a villa in the Algarve region