Pelé (1940 – 2022 †): Who was he?

Playing football barefoot

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) was born on 23 October 1940 in the Brazilian county of Minas Gerais. As a child, he played football on bare feet with a makeshift ball. He usually created a ball out of a sock filled with old newspapers. This is why Edson retrieved the nickname of Pelé. Pelé means rag ball. Despite of not having the money to buy real football gear, Pelé’s talent didn’t go unnoticed.

At the age of 12, he was allowed to play in a youth team at local club Bauru Atlético Clube. Some two years later, the young Pelé was followed by almost all top Brazilian clubs. In the end, Pelé chose Santos FC, the club of his former youth coach. In 1956 – at the age of 15 – the young talent signed his first professional contract.

Pelé: the great star of Santos FC

At the age of 15, Pelé made his debut for the great Santos and managed to score immediately. Two years later, while still being just a teenager, he even set a record by scoring 58 goals in one season. Pelé celebrated his first national championship in 1961. During his first few years as a Santos footballer, the striker had impressed the whole country immensely, which resulted in all European top clubs wanting to buy the big star. These attempts all failed because the Brazilian government prohibited Péle to leave, by defining Pelé as a national treasure.

The tall, right-footed footballer played for Santos from 1956 until 1974. He played a total of 496 matches in which he scored 504 goals. After he quit professional football in 1974, he made a comeback at New York Cosmos. Feyenoord made another attempt to buy Pelé, but failed. In 1977, the Brazilian superstar's career was definitively over.

Pelé during World Cups

Performing at a World Cup against the best countries in the world was the ultimate ordeal for Pelé. After all, he was only used to playing against Brazilian clubs, which were far from being among the world's best.

1958 World Cup in Sweden
Pelé played his first World Cup in 1958. The seventeen-year-old was allowed to represent the national team of Brazil in the World Cup in Sweden. Due to a knee injury, he was benched until the third group match against the Soviet Union. Despite several shots on goal, he failed to score. However, in the quarter-final against Wales, he scored the decisive goal. With this, he grabbed the world record of the youngest scoring player at a World Cup. This record still stands.

In the semi-finals against France, Pelé scored a flawless hattrick by scoring three times in the second half of the match. In the final against Sweden, Pelé managed to score again. In the end, they won 5-2 and became world champions. The teenager was a super star within the blink of an eye. He was instantly famous worldwide and once he got back home in Brazil, he was given a car and a street was named after him.

1962 World Cup in Chili
The now 21-year-old Pelé was allowed to participate in the 1962 World Cup in Chili. Expectations were high, but he wasn’t able to play much due to a groin injury. He ruptured his groin in the second group match, forcing him to watch the rest of the World Cup from the stands. Garrincha took over his hero status and became the top scorer of the tournament. The 62' World Cup is still known as the 'World Cup Garrincha won single-handedly'.

1966 World Cup in England
This World Cup was another big disappointment for Pelé. He got kicked out of the tournament by Bulgaria and Portugal. Opponents tackled him just as often and as hard as needed to make Pelé quit the tournament. This happened as early as the third group match against Portugal when he suffered a flying tackle. After getting up, he was immediately worked to the ground again. Brazil was eliminated and Pelé never wished to play at a World Cup again. This was the last World Cup to be played without cards.

1970 World Cup in Mexico
The tournament in 1970 was Pelé’s last World Cup as a 29-year-old striker. He scored four goals in six matches. Brazil faced the super strong Italy in the finals. Partly because of Pelé's great play, the game was won 4-1. This was Pelé’s third world title. A phenomenal accomplishment. As this was the first World Cup to be broadcast in colour, the footage is interesting to watch.

Minister of Sports

After his career as a professional footballer, Pelé remained involved in football all over the world. He worked for FIFA and people loved to see him on tv. In 1995, he became Minister of Sports in Brazil and was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He also wrote several autobiographies about his life and career. When he got older, he pulled back from the media and started to take things easy.

Personal life

Pelé was not particularly known as a reliable spouse. He was married a total of three times and had several extra-marital children. One of them, whom he never acknowledged as his own child, died of breast cancer in 2006. Pelé is father of seven children. His last marriage to businesswoman Marcia Aoki lasted until his death.