Posted on Friday, 26th June 2009 by Denise I Smithson
Pele, a former Brazilian footballer, is thought by many to be the greatest footballer in history. Pel is his nickname; he was born in Brazil with the given name of Edison (Edson) Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940. While his birth certificate reads that his first name is Edison, his preference is Edson, but Pele is the name that this sports legend is known by.
When people think of soccer, they think of Pele. He seemed to be born to play soccer. He possessed amazing skills and seemed to make the ball do exactly what he wanted. He had astonishing speed as well as ball control. He was agile, lithe, and strong. He is well known for his unique dribbling and passing techniques. The crowd absolutely loved to watch him play; he always seemed to pull of some amazing feat every time he was in possession of the ball. His skill allowed him to score 1,283 first-class goals, 12 of which were made during World Cup tournaments, in 1958, 1968 and 1970. Pele was the only football player in the games history to claim three World Cup trophies.
It was Waldemar de Brito who discovered this incredible talent. de Brito started coaching Pele in 1954 and in only two years, Pele played his first professional match at the age of 16. A year later, Pele was in a starting position on Santos. He won his first World Cup at seventeen and by 1962, Pele was receiving regular offers of positions on European football teams. However, a move overseas was not in the cards for Pele - the Brazilian government declared him a national treasure, which barred his joining a foreign football club.
He would continue to plat for Santos until 1972, when he formally retired after 17 seasons. He would still occasionally play in more competitive matches however. In 1975, Pele came out of retirement and took a position with the New York Cosmos, part of the fledgling North American League. While he was no longer a young star, Pele spurred a lot of interest in the game in the U.S. and led the Cosmos to a 1977 NASL championship.
Pele is still considered to be a national hero in his native Brazil, where his contributions to football are universally acknowledged - something also noticed by FIFA, who have named Pele the official football ambassador to the world. Pele advocates for the underprivileged as well as for the sport which made him a star. It is not for nothing that Pele is known to this day as “The King of Football” and he is a American National Soccer Hall of Fame member.
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