Perhaps the best International soccer player to ever take the field. Ever since the early 80’s, Pelé was the one name we ALL knew in the game of soccer. In the early 80’s, soccer was regarded as an afterthought compared to the other professional sports in the United States. Regarded as the statesman of Soccer, Peléwas a member of three Brazilian World Cup Championship teams and an active advocate for the sport.
Pelé, whose birth name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento was a legend in not only soccer, but a role model and inspiration for millions. Pele was instrumental in helping Brazil win World Cup Trophies in 1962, 1966 and 1970. Known as the world’s greatest soccer player, Pelé was given credit for the term, “the beautiful game,” as the sport would be described by many across the globe. In the three World Cup Championships, Pelé was responsible for 12 goals. Unprecedented~
Born in Tres Coracoes, Brazil, Pelé grew up in the impoverished province of Bauru, a state of Sao Paulo. Pelé began playing soccer at an early age and was competing in amateur leagues throughout Brazil. When he was 15-years of age, Pelé was convinced to try out for the professional soccer team Santos. Pele was signed immediately which led to his appearance at the World Cup in Sweden in 1958. Pelé would go on to score three goals to secure a victory over France and another two over host country, Sweden. It was at this point that Pele was revered as a bona-fide superstar.
As Pelé broke records and moved around the world as an advocate for the sport, his popularity increased. An amazing goal scorer, Pele had the unique ability of anticipating opponents moves and navigating himself in position to score in almost any situation. The ultimate team player with a high level of intelligence, Pelé would go down in history as one of the greatest to ever play soccer. From numerous awards and accolades, Pelé will forever be remembered as one of the greatest trendsetters who propelled soccer (futbol) into the game we know it today. In recent years, Pelé has undergone many health conditions which have hindered both appearances and work toward advancing the sport.
In 2021, Pelé began radiation to cure a tumor found in 2020. In 2022, Pelé suffered many medical conditions which ended with hospitalization from kidney and cardiac dysfunctions and on December 29, 2022 Pelé passed away peacefully, according to his agent.
