Picture from Vanitatis
All-time great soccer player and Brazilian national treasure Pelé passed away at age 82 in São Paulo, Brazil on December 29. Winning an unprecedented three World Cups, in 1958, 1962, and 1970, Pelé was nicknamed "O Rei do Futebol", Portuguese for "the king of football".
Pelé was born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940, in Brazil. Nicknamed initially as "Dico", the nickname "Pelé" stuck after classmates mocked his mispronunciation of "Bile", a local pro goalkeeper. He would play as a reserve for the Brazilian national team in time for the 1958 World Cup, at only 17 years old. Quickly, he became a young prodigy and was noticed by fans worldwide, destined to be one of the greatest in soccer. He scored 2 goals in the final match of the 1958 World Cup, in a 5-2 win against Sweden.
Picture from AS USA
By the 1960s, he was famous all around the world, a sports superstar in every right. He played for Santos in Brazil, winning two Copa Libertadores titles in 1962 and 1963 for the club, as well as two International Cup titles in 1962 and 1963 as well. Despite getting injured in the second match of the 1962 World Cup, Brazil was able to go on to win the tournament regardless. In the 1966 World Cup, Pelé was beat with brutal fouling by Bulgaria in the opening game, leading to him missing the second game and limping through the third group stage match. Pelé would state following Brazil's elimination that he did not "intend to play in a World Cup again," according to Yahoo Sports.
In January 1969, during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, "a 48-hour ceasefire was declared that January because there was going to be, of all things, a soccer match." This soccer game would be Pelé's Santos team playing Stationary Stores FC in Lagos, where they drew 2-2. Pelé returned to the national stage in the 1970 World Cup, although hesitant to return at first. Brazil would win the World Cup in a 4-1 final against Italy, and Pelé hung up the cleats on his international career, as well as actually retiring from the game itself in 1974. The retirement did not last for long, as he returned to play for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (NASL), playing 3 seasons for the club from 1975-77, which included winning the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1977 in his final season. His final game was played between his Brazilian club Santos and the Cosmos, where Pelé played for the Cosmos in the first half and Santos in the second half.
Pictured above: Following the Cosmos-Santos farewell game, Pele is carried by his Cosmos teammates (picture from ESPN)
Following his incredible soccer career, he wrote an autobiography in 1977 entitled "My Life and the Beautiful Game", resulting in the "the Beautiful Game" being a nickname for soccer. Pelé lived his retirement out with a legacy of being an ambassador, as he would be chosen as a United Nations ambassador for ecology in 1992 and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1994. He became Brazil's first-ever Minister of Sport in 1995, holding office until his resignation in 1998. He would also receive an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997. Pelé did a lot to popularize the sport of football, as well as make a name for Brazil and will forever be known as O Rei do Futebol - The King of Football.
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