Pele biography: Early life, age, children, career, world cup, family and more!

Pele biography: Early life, age, children, career, world cup, family and more.

Pele or Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is a former Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. FIFA has dubbed him “The Great,” as one of the greatest players of all time. He was one of the twentieth century’s most successful and well-known athletes.

On October 23, 1940, in Torres Corazoniz, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born to Fluminense footballer Dondinho (born Joao Ramos do Nascimento) and Celeste Arantes. He was the younger of his two brothers.

Pele Biography and profile summary

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, born 23 October 1940, popularly known as Pele, is a former Brazilian professional soccer player who played as a forward. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, he has been dubbed ‘The Great’ by FIFA. He was one of the most successful and popular athletes of the 20th century.

In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pele was named World Footballer of the Century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). He was one of two co-winners of FIFA’s Player of the Century title. He has scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendly matches, and is certified by Guinness World Records.

Pele started playing for Santos at age 15 and for the Brazilian national team at age 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups in 1958, 1962, and 1970, and became the only player to do so. Pele is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 77 goals he scored in 92 appearances. At the club level, he is Santos’ top scorer with 643 goals in his 659 appearances. During Santos’ golden age, he led the club to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores and the 1962 and 1963 Intercontinental Cup.

In Brazil, Pele is hailed as a national hero for his achievements in football and his outspoken support for measures to improve social conditions for the poor. His performance in the 1958 World Cup was a source of inspiration as he became the first black global sports star.

Throughout his career and even after his retirement, Pele has received multiple individuals and team awards for his on-field performances, record-breaking performances, and legacy in the sport.

Pele was named after American inventor Thomas Edison, and his parents decided to drop the “i” in the name Edison and call him “Edson”, but there was an error on his birth certificate, and many listed him as “Edison” instead of “Edson” as he was known.

Pele was originally called “Dico” by his family but earned the nickname “Pelé” as a student, allegedly because he mispronounced the name of his favourite player Vasco da Gama’s local goalkeeper Bille.

Pele grew up in poverty in Bauru, São Paulo. He earned extra money working as a servant in a tea room. Taught to play by his father, he could not afford to play proper football and usually played with socks stuffed with newspaper and tied with string or grapefruit.

Pele age

The former Brazilian professional footballer is considered one of the greatest players of all time and has been dubbed “The Great” by FIFA born on 23 October 1940 is currently 82 years of age. Pele in Torres Corazoniz, Minas Gerais, Brazil, to Fluminense footballer Dondinho (born Joao Ramos do Nascimento) and Celeste Arantes. He was the older brother of his two brothers.

Pele career

At the start of the 1957 season, Pele earned a starting spot in the first team and by the age of 16 was the league’s top scorer. Ten months after his professional turn, the teenager was called up to the Brazilian national team.

After the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, wealthy European clubs such as Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United tried in vain to sign him. In 1958, Inter Milan even signed him to a permanent contract, but after an uprising by Santos’ Brazilian fans, Angelo Moratti had to cancel his contract at the request of Santos’ president.

In 1961, the Brazilian government, led by President Janio Cuadoros, declared Pele an “official national treasure” to prevent him from being taken out of the country.

Pele won his first major title with Santos in 1958 when the team won the Campeonato Paulista. He finished the tournament as the top scorer with 58 goals. After the 1974 season (19th with Santos), Pele retired from Brazilian club football but continued to play occasionally for Santos in official competitive matches.

He signed with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1975 season 2 years later. On October 1, 1977, Pele ended his career in an exhibition match between Cosmos and Santos. The match was played to a sold-out crowd at Giants Stadium and in the US and was televised on ABC’s Wide World of Sports and worldwide.

The first international match of Pele was a 2–1 loss to Argentina at the Maracana on July 7, 1957. In that match, he represented Brazil at the age of 16 years and 9 months. He scored his first goal as a player and was Brazil’s youngest goalscorer.

Pele Goals

Pele is known to have associated the phrase “The Beautiful Game” with football; as a prolific goalscorer, he was known for his ability to anticipate opponents in the box and end chances with an accurate and powerful shot with both feet.

Pele was also a hardworking team player and an all-out striker with exceptional vision and intelligence. He was known for his accurate passing and ability to connect with teammates and provide assists.

Pele is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 77 goals he scored in 92 appearances. At the club level, he is Santos’ top scorer, with 643 goals in his 659 appearances. He has scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendly matches, and is certified by Guinness World Records.

In 2000, Pele was named World Footballer of the Century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). It was one of two co-winners of FIFA’s Player of the Century title.

Pele wife

Pele has been married three times, has had several affairs, and had several children from them. On February 21, 1966, Pele married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi. They had two daughters and a son. In April 1994, Pele married psychologist and gospel singer Assyria Lemos Seishas, ​​and on September 28, 1996, she gave birth to twins, Joshua and Celeste, through fertility treatments.

When he was 73, Pele announced his intention to marry Marcia Aoki, 41, a Japanese-Brazilian medical equipment importer from Pentapolis, São Paulo, whom he had been dating since 2010. They first met in New York in the mid-1980s before reuniting in 2008. They got married in July 2016.

Pele children

Pele has had a lot of affairs and might have a lot of kids we might not know of but we know he had two daughters and a son with his first wife. His daughter Kelly Cristina born on 13 January 1967, married Dr. Arthur DeLuca, Jennifer, and their son Edson “Edinho” was born on 27 August 1970.

His twins Joshua and Celeste were born on 28 September 1996 with his second wife Assyria Lemos Seishas. Sandra Machado was born from an affair Pelé had in 1964 with a housemaid, Anizia Machado, but he refused to accept her as his daughter even after a DNA test. Although courts recognized her as his biological daughter based on DNA evidence in 1993, Pelé never acknowledged his eldest daughter even after her death in 2006.

Pelé also had another daughter, Flávia Kurtz, in an extramarital affair in 1968 with journalist Lenita Kurtz.

Pele net worth

Pelé is a retired Brazilian footballer with a net worth of $115 million, which he mostly earned through endorsement deals and investments.