One of history’s greatest soccer players Pelé One of history’s greatest soccer players
Biography Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in the small town of Tres Coracoes, Brazil on October 23, 1940 He got the nickname “Pele” as a child, for no particular reason Pele left school after the 4th grade and became a cobbler’s apprentice
The Legend Begins His mentor, Waldemar de Brito, was a former professional player and took Pele to tryout for a club in Sao Paulo when Pele was 15 He was rejected He then tried out for a club in Santos and made the junior team He quickly progressed to the reserves, then made the starting team
Professional Career Age 15- Signed to Brazilian professional team, Santos. Age 16- Became top scorer of the league Led Santos to win numerous Copa Libertadores titles Signed to the Brazilian National Team Age 17- Played and won the 1958 World Cup Continued to play the three following World Cups, winning two of them 1973-Signed to New York Cosmos after coming back from semi-retirement
Accomplishments Youngest goal scorer ever in the World Cup Youngest player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup Youngest player to play in the World Cup final Match Youngest player to win World Cup final. All time leading goal scorer: 1280 goals in 1363 games Voted Football Player of the Century by IFFHS
Leadership on the Field Extremely adept at handling the ball Exceptional shooting, passing, and heading ability Scored many goals Was a master technician—he could stay calm and unrushed and develop plays on the fly, turning any group of 11 players into a formidable scoring force. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEmnP48PEc
Leadership Off The Field 1992, Pele was appointed a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. 1995, appointed to the position of "Extraordinary Minister for Sport“ for Brazil Same year, appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Pele proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football, later became known as the “Pele law” Is now the president of the New York Cosmos, a new soccer club based in NYC
Sources “Pele.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Pele>. Parris, Larose. "Pelé (Edson Arantes Do Nascimento)." Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Ed. Colin A. Palmer. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. 1744-1747. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3444700993&v=2.1&u=west66701&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w