Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (born October 23, 1940), nicknamed Pelé, is a former Brazilian football player, considered by the majority of football fans to be the finest player of all time. He was an exceptionally versatile footballer, two-footed, an extremely successful goalscorer, highly skilled at dribbling and passing, and had remarkably good defensive skills for an attacking player. Contrary to popular belief, Pelé was not a striker. He wore number '10' throughout his career, which is a clear indication of the fact that he played in another position. His position was 'inside left', meaning that by today's terminology he would play as 'forward-anchorman' just before the centre forwards (in line with players such as Zidane and Totti) but leftwards, as opposed to in the middle. Nowadays, what he was granted in the past is referred to as a 'free role', which he often exploited to remain forward and score (which is why a lot of people thought he was a centre-forward). This still doesn't change the fact that he never played as a striker. Another misconception surrounding the superstar is that he is ambidextrous. He is right-handed. pele File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 69 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... Strikers are the players on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing teams goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals. ...

Biography

Pelé was born in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He started his football career in Santos in 1956, at the age of 15, and played in his first international match only ten months later. He would stay with Santos for his Brazilian career. Três Corações is a city in the south of Minas Gerais state in Brazil. ... Minas Gerais is one of the states of Brazil, the second most populous in the federation. ... Santos Futebol Clube is a Brazilian football team from Santos, São Paulo state, Brazil. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1958, Pelé became the youngest ever World Cup winner in Sweden at 17. He played in two more Brazilian World Cup-winning teams, in 1962 and 1970. The 1970 team, featuring famous players like Rivelino, Jairzinho, and Tostão, is considered one of the greatest teams ever to compete in a World Cup. He missed most of the 1962 World Cup due to an injury sustained in the early stage of the tournament. In the 1966 World Cup he suffered a serious injury again, but during the last game that Brazil team disputed (when it was disqualified to the next phase). The 1958 Football World Cup remained in Europe, this time being hosted by Sweden. ... The Football World Cup (official name: FIFA World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer). ... First International Argentina 3 - 0 Brazil (Buenos Aires, Argentina; August 20, 1914) Largest win Brazil 9 - 0 Colombia (Lima, Peru; 23 March 1957) Worst defeat Argentina 6 - 1 Brazil (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 5 March 1940) World Cup Appearances 17 (First in 1930) Best result Winners, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002... In 1962 the Football World Cup returned to the continent of South America. ... The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico. ... Roberto Rivellino Roberto Rivellino (b. ... Jair Ventura Filho, (born December 25, 1944), is a former Brazilian football player, he was voted by World Soccer magazine as the 27th greatest player of the 20th century. ... Eduardo Goncalvez de Andrade (born 25 January 1947 in Belo Horizonte), better known as Tostão, is a former Brazilian footballer. ... 1966 was the year that the Football World Cup went back to the country that first conceived football: England. ...

After his retirement from Brazilian football on October 3, 1974, he joined the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. He played his last game as a professional on October 1, 1977 in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium against his old club, Santos; he played the first half with the Cosmos and the second half with Santos. The exhibition game was sold out six weeks beforehand. He also played in a friendly match with the Lebanese club Nejmeh in 1974 (see Football in Lebanon). Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in Leap years). ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... The New York Cosmos (1971-1985) was a franchise in the North American Soccer League. ... NASL logo In 1967, two pro soccer leagues started in the United States: the FIFA-sanctioned United Soccer Association and the unsanctioned National Professional Soccer League. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Giants Stadium Giants Stadium is the home stadium for the New York Giants and New York Jets NFL football teams, and the MetroStars of Major League Soccer. ... Nejmeh is a Lebanese football club. ... Championship, list of winners 1934 Al Nahda 1935 American University 1936 Sikat El Hadid [Railways] 1937 American University 1938 American University 1939 Sikat El Hadid [Railways] 1940 - not done 1941 Sikat El Hadid [Railways] 1942 Al Nahda 1943 Al Nahda 1944 Homenetmen 1945 Homenmen 1946 Homenetmen 1947 Al Nahda 1948...

In 1995, President Cardoso appointed Pelé to the position of Minister of Sports. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fernando Henrique Cardoso (born June 18, 1931) was the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2003. ...

Pelé is a long-standing contributor for children's rights at UNICEF and acts as the figurehead of a charity for erectile dysfunction. Pelé is certainly one of the most famous man in football, with his nickname being recognized even by those unfamiliar with the sport. UNICEF logo The United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946. ... Erectile dysfunction, also known as impotence, is the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis for satisfactory sexual intercourse regardless of the capability of ejaculation. ... A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Nick is short for Nicholas). ...

In 2005, Pelé drew international media attention due to the imprisonment of Edson Cholbi Nascimento, his son, who was arrested in an operation to dismantle a drug gang in southeastern Brazil. Nascimento, 35, was arrested along with some 50 other people after an eight-month investigation into a cocaine trafficking operation in the port city of Santos. Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ...

Accolades

Pelé is in third place in the list of all-time top scorers in World Cup play, with 12 goals, and he is the only player who won three World Cups with his team. He ended his career with a total of 1281 goals in 1363 matches, becoming the most prolific goal scorers ever. In his 92 appearances for the Brazilian team, he scored 77 goals. In Association Football (soccer), the term goal refers to both the result of a score and the physical structure that defines when a score has occurred. ... First International Argentina 3 - 0 Brazil (Buenos Aires, Argentina; August 20, 1914) Largest win Brazil 9 - 0 Colombia (Lima, Peru; 23 March 1957) Worst defeat Argentina 6 - 1 Brazil (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 5 March 1940) World Cup Appearances 17 (First in 1930) Best result Winners, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002...

He was awarded Brazil's Gold Medal for outstanding services to the sport, before becoming Sports Minister in 1994. In 1997, he was given an honorary British knighthood. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ...

In 1992, Pelé was appointed a United Nations Ambassador for Ecology and the Environment. 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ...

In 1995, he was appointed an Ambassador for UNESCO at the Goodwill Games. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ... The Goodwill Games were an international athletics competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympics of the 1980s. ...

He was voted athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999. The International Olympic Committee is an organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organise this sports event every four years. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

In December 2000, Pelé was named Footballer of the Century by FIFA. December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... FIFA logo (usage restricted): For the Good of the Game Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the international governing body of the sport of association football (called simply football or soccer). ...

In the same year, Pelé received the Laureus World Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award from South African President Nelson Mandela. The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. ... Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, OM, (born July 18, 1918) before becoming President of South Africa, was one of its chief anti-apartheid activists, and was also an anti-apartheid saboteur. ...

Pelé is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors are celebrity advocates of UNESCO and utilize their talent or fame to spread the UNESCO ideals. ...

Trivia

In 1970, the two factions involved in a civil war in Nigeria agreed for a 48-hour ceasefire so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game in Lagos. 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ... A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war, for any of various reasons. ... An Exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no gain or loss from whether the competitors are victorious are not in any competition. ... Map of Nigeria showing Lagos on the left Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria and, with its population of 13. ...

Pelé is the first sports figure featured on a video game with the Atari 2600 game Pelé's Soccer. Atari 2600 (four-switch version). ...

After winning his second World Cup in 1962, wealthy European clubs offered massive fees to sign the young player, but the government of Brazil declared Pelé an official national treasure to prevent him from being transferred out of the country.

Pelé was one of the first black people to be featured on the cover of Life Magazine. A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ...

Pelé has published several best-selling autobiographies, starred in documentary and semi-documentary films and composed various musical pieces, including the entire soundtrack for the film 'Pelé' in 1977. 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

Tarcisio Burgnich, the famous Italian defender who marked Pelé in the 1970 World Cup Finals: "I told myself before the game, 'he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else' - but I was wrong". Tarcisio Burgnich (born April 25, 1939 in Ruda, Italy) is a former Italian football (soccer) defender. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

See also

• List of footballers (soccer)

This article is concerned with Association football (soccer). ...

External links

• FIFA Worldcup Archives (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/02/en/pf/h/cp/bra/pele.html)
• Video of Pelé scoring (http://www.greensonscreen.co.uk/santos72-73.htm) a penalty against Plymouth Argyle.
• Most extensive unofficial Pelé site (http://rivelino.caltech.edu/~pelesl/pele) in more-or-less 8 languages.