Pelé

Life and work

The story behind the role.

Brazilian footballer (1940–2022).

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 highe…

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