Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento, 23 October 1940 to 29 December 2022) was a Brazilian footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He is the only player to have won three World Cups, with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and he scored 77 goals in 92 matches for his country. He spent most of his career at Santos and later became Brazil's minister of sport. He died in São Paulo at 82. This biography follows his life and career.
Pelé at a Glance
| Full name | Edson Arantes do Nascimento |
| Born | 23 October 1940, Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Died | 29 December 2022, São Paulo, Brazil (aged 82) |
| Position | Forward |
| Clubs | Santos (1956 to 1974); New York Cosmos (1975 to 1977) |
| Brazil record | 92 caps and 77 goals (1957 to 1971) |
| World Cups | Winner in 1958, 1962 and 1970 |
| Honours | IOC Athlete of the Century (1999); joint FIFA Player of the Century with Diego Maradona |
| Public office | Brazil's Minister of Sport (1 January 1995 to 29 April 1998) |
| Children | Seven |
Early Life and Santos
Pelé was born in Três Corações in the state of Minas Gerais. He signed for Santos as a professional in June 1956 and made his debut at the age of 15. He played for the club until 1974, making 583 league appearances and scoring 569 league goals. He became one of the most recognisable athletes in the world during that time.
The World Cups
Pelé won his first World Cup in 1958 at the age of 17, and he scored twice in the 5-2 final win over Sweden. Brazil won again in 1962, and in 1970 he was part of the team that won a third title. He remains the only player to win three World Cups. He also finished as the top scorer, with eight goals, at the 1959 South American Championship, where Brazil were runners-up.
Goals and Records
The Guinness World Records recognises Pelé with 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, but that total includes friendlies and exhibition matches. The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation counts 775 goals in 840 official games. In 1975 he joined the New York Cosmos, where he played 64 games and scored 37 goals before retiring in 1977.
Honours and Public Life
Pelé was named IOC Athlete of the Century in 1999 and IFFHS World Player of the Century in 2000, and he shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with Diego Maradona. He received the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in January 2014. Time included him in its list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. He was appointed a United Nations ambassador for ecology and the environment in 1992 and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1994, and he served as Brazil's Minister of Sport from 1995 to 1998. Queen Elizabeth II gave him an honorary knighthood in 1997.
Personal Life
Pelé was married three times, to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi from 1966 to 1982, to Assíria Lemos Seixas from 1994 to 2008, and to Marcia Aoki from 2016. He had seven children.
Death and Legacy
Pelé was diagnosed with colon cancer after surgery in September 2021, and in November 2022 his hospital said that the cancer had advanced and that he was receiving palliative care. He died in São Paulo on 29 December 2022 at the Albert Einstein hospital, of multiple organ failure caused by the cancer. He is buried at the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica in Santos. FIFA awarded him a posthumous Best Special Award in 2023, and Brazilians still call him the "King of Football".
