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Pelé

Author profile

born

in Três Corações, Brazil

October 23, 1940

gender

male

genre

Biographies & Memoirs, Sports

About this author

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Edison Arantes do Nascimento, KBE, best known by his nickname Pelé, is a Brazilian football player. He was given the title of Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. Time magazine listed Pelé as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. While his birth certificate shows his first name as Edison (after Thomas Edison), he prefers to call himself Edson, but it is as Pelé that he has become a sporting legend.

In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contributions to the game of football in addition to being officially declared football ambassador of the world by FIFA and a national treasure by the Brazilian government. He is also acknowledged for his v...more Edison Arantes do Nascimento, KBE, best known by his nickname Pelé, is a Brazilian football player. He was given the title of Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. Time magazine listed Pelé as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. While his birth certificate shows his first name as Edison (after Thomas Edison), he prefers to call himself Edson, but it is as Pelé that he has become a sporting legend.

In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contributions to the game of football in addition to being officially declared football ambassador of the world by FIFA and a national treasure by the Brazilian government. He is also acknowledged for his vocal support of policies to improve the social conditions of the poor (when he scored his 1,000th goal he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil). During his career, he became known as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei). He is also a member of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Spotted by football star Waldemar de Brito, Pelé began playing for Santos at 15 and his national team at 16, and won his first World Cup at 17. Despite numerous offers from European clubs, the economic conditions and Brazilian football regulations at the time benefited Santos, thus enabling them to keep Pelé for almost two decades until 1974. Pelé played as an inside forward, striker, and what later became known as the playmaker position. Pelé's technique and natural athleticism have been universally praised and during his playing years he was renowned for his excellent dribbling and passing, his pace, powerful shot, exceptional heading ability, and prolific goalscoring.

He is the all-time leading scorer of the Brazil national football team and is the only footballer to be a part of three World Cup-winning teams. In 1962 he was on the Brazilian squad at the start of the World Cup but due to an injury suffered in the second match, he wasn't able to play the remainder of the tournament. In November 2007 FIFA announced that he would be awarded the 1962 medal retroactively, making him the only player in the world to have three World Cup winning medals.

Since his retirement in 1977, Pelé has been a worldwide ambassador for football and has undertaken various acting roles and commercial ventures.
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Pelé's Books

Average rating: 3.75 · 340 ratings · 34 reviews · 9 distinct works · Similar authors

	Pelé 3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 avg rating — 288 ratings — published 1977 — 13 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	For the Love of Soccer! by Pelé, Frank Morrison (Illustrator) 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 23 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pele: My Life And The Beautiful Game by Pelé, Robert L. Fish 3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 avg rating — 10 ratings	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Play Football With Pelڳe by Pelé, Julio Mazzei 5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Learning Soccer with Pele 5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 1978 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The World Cup Murder by Herbert Resnicow, Pelé 5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1988	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pelé by Orlando Duarte, Alex Bellos (Goodreads Author), Pelé 0.0 of 5 stars 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2006	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Simplest Game: The Intelligent Fan's Guide to the World of Soccer by Paul Gardner, Pelé (Introduction) 3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 1994 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Simplest Game: The Intelligent American's Guide to the World of Soccer by Paul Gardner, Pelé (Introduction) 0.0 of 5 stars 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 1976	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Pelé

“A penalty is a cowardly way to score.”
― Pelé, Pele: The Autobiography

tags: soccer

50 people liked it

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do”
― Pelé

37 people liked it

“I don't believe there is such a thing as a 'born' soccer player. Perhaps you are born with certain skills and talents, but quite frankly it seems impossible to me that one is actually born to be an ace soccer player”
― Pelé

23 people liked it

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