Pele

Time magazine of London stated early in his career, “How do you spell Pelé? G-O-D” (3). The greatest soccer player in the history of the sport is unquestionably Pelé. His statistic résumé is unmatched by anyone who has ever played this great sport. He began his career on a high note, and never let off until his retirement. Even after his career ended he helped to work for a world for children. Pele’s life did not begin idealistically, only by chance was he discovered, but he grew to be the greatest soccer player ever and he used that fame and fortune to do even greater deeds for the less fortunate.

Pelé, born in Tres Coracos, Brazil on October 23, 1940 and was named Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but went by “Dico” (1 & 2). His parents, Dondinho and Celeste Nascimento, were very poor, and when their son was not playing soccer he shined shoes for pennies when he was a child (2). At age 11, Dico was discovered by one of Brazil’s premiere soccer players of the time, Waldemar de Brito, while he was playing soccer with some friends in the street (2). Brito worked with him for 4 years before he started to take him for professional clubs to evaluate him (2). When he brought Dico to a team in Santos from Chile, Brito declared to the disbelieving directors “this boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world” (2). The bragging worked and in his first professional game young Edson, who came to be known as Pelé, scored 4 goals, leading Santos to a 7-1 victory (2). By the age of 16 he had secured a starting position on the team. He also had earned a position on the Brazilian national team in only his second year pro (2).

At the age of 17, Pelé played in the 1958 World Cup of soccer (1). He surprised the world by scoring six goals throughout the tournament, including two in the championship game of Brazil’s 5-2 victory over Sweden to give Brazil its first World Cup trophy (1). In the 1970 tournament he scored a dazzling goal in the win against Italy, and it was Brazil’s 100th World Cup goal and the one he remembers the most (3). Brazil, unfortunately, did not win that tournament, but Pelé assisted them in winning two others, totaling up to winning three world cups within 12 years (1).