PELE, THE SOCCER LEGEND
"Soccer in its purest form" was played by Pele, a South American superstar who
was the world's most famous and highest-paid athlete when he joined a North American
team in 1975. He led the Brazilian national soccer team to three World Cup victories in
1958, 1962 and 1970, and to permanent possession of the Jules Rimet Trophy.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born to a poor family on October 23, 1940, in
Tres Coracoes, Brazil. He began playing for a local minor-league club when he was a
teenager. He made his debut with the Santos Football Club in 1956. With Pele at inside
left forward, the team won several South American clubs' cups and the 1962 world club
championship.
Pele scored his 1,000th goal in 1969. The legendary athlete retired in 1974 but
made a comeback in 1975, reportedly after accepting a $7-million contract for three
years with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. He said he
came out of retirement, not for the money, but to "make soccer truly popular in the United
States." His farewell appearance was against his old Santos club in 1977.
Pele, whose nickname does not mean anything, became a Brazilian national hero
and was also known as Perola Negra, meaning Black Pearl. An average-sized man, he
was blessed with speed, great balance, tremendous vision, the ability to control the ball
superbly and the ability to shoot powerfully and accurately with either foot as well as with
his head. In his career he played in 1,363 matches and scored 1,281 goals. His best
season was 1958, when he scored 139 times. In addition to his accomplishments in
sports, he published several best-selling autobiographies, starred in several documentary
and semi-documentary films, and composed numerous musical pieces, including the
entire sound track for the 1977 film "Pele". He was the 1978 recipient of the International
Peace Award, and in 1980, he was named athlete of the century.
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