He was born with the ball at his feet. Every movement, every pass, every goal was special. He impressed fans with his agility, technique and love for the game.
In FIFA's 1904-1984 anniversary book, Pele was hailed as the person who made football an art form. World football's governing body also named the Brazilian striker the World Footballer of the Century, while the International Olympic Committee named him as its sportsperson of the last century. Pele was the king of football — a man small in stature but for whom no superlative is too big.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on October 23, 1940, in Tres Coracoes, Brazil, and was named after the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. His nickname though, would forever remain a mystery even to the man himself. The most common theory is that as a kid he was a fan of the goalkeeper in his father's team named "Bile," but mispronounced it as "Pile." Despite his frustration at the name, it stuck and developed into Pele.
In 1956, Pele earned a contract with Brazilian side Santos and scored against St. Andre in his league debut at the age of 15. It wasn't long before he was called up to the Brazilian national team. At just 16 years and 257 days old, he made his international debut in a 2-1 defeat to Argentina, scoring Brazil's only goal of the game.
A year later at the World Cup in Sweden, he was in the squad, although he had to be content with being on the bench at the start. But then the little magician scored six goals in four games, helping his country to the title. In the final against the hosts, Pele put on a brilliant display of football artistry and tricks. An international star was born.
In his hometown, Pele was adored like no other footballer right from the start of his career. Brazil's government went as far as declaring him a national treasure at the age of just 20 to prevent him from taking a transfer abroad. When Pele did venture beyond Brazil's borders, he was welcomed like a head of state. At the 1962 World Cup in Chile though, the striker suffered a setback. Brazil defended their title, but footballer's newest hero hardly played a part, getting injured in the second group-stage game.
As if to make good on a disappointing campaign, Pele led Brazil to their third title in 1970 in Mexico. A year later, the super striker made his 92nd international appearance in front of 180,000 fans in Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium. It was Pele's final appearance for the Selecao. Many considered his international retirement premature, considering Pele was only 30 at the time, but with 77 goals to his name and a unique style, no one could doubt his commitment.
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