Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, was born on Oct. 21, 1940. However, according to the man himself, Pele insists he was born on the 23rd. And so the legend begins. Perhaps more important than when he was born, is where he was born. The son of a nation that has come to embody the very flair and essence of the game of soccer, the Brazilian is revered as the greatest soccer player of all time. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics. In that same year he was also crowned Athlete of the Century, by the International Olympic Committee.
Pele netted 1,281 goals throughout his career, and he was the driving force behind Brazil’s three World Cup victories in four finals appearances between 1958-1970. In celebration of the former Santos, Cosmos, and Brazil star’s 73rd birthday, we’ve highlighted some of the lesser-known details of Pele’s fabled career. Check out, 25 Things You Didn’t Know About Pele.
Written by Adam Silvers (@silversurfer103)
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, was born on Oct. 21, 1940. However, according to the man himself, Pele insists he was born on the 23rd. And so the legend begins. Perhaps more important than when he was born, is where he was born. The son of a nation that has come to embody the very flair and essence of the game of soccer, the Brazilian is revered as the greatest soccer player of all time. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics. In that same year he was also crowned Athlete of the Century, by the International Olympic Committee.
Pele netted 1,281 goals throughout his career, and he was the driving force behind Brazil’s three World Cup victories in four finals appearances between 1958-1970. In celebration of the former Santos, Cosmos, and Brazil star’s 73rd birthday, we’ve highlighted some of the lesser-known details of Pele’s fabled career. Check out, 25 Things You Didn’t Know About Pele.
Written by Adam Silvers (@silversurfer103)
When Pele saw his father crying after Brazil lost the 1950 FIFA World Cup to Uruguay, he told him: "Don't worry. One day I'll win it."
"Stand back, yo, I got this." Do you think even Pele knew that he wouldn't just win it once, but three times? Perhaps seeing how much the loss meant to his father was the beginning of what would be one of the greatest stories in the history of sports.
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His presence in the U.S. helped boost the average NASL attendance by almost 80 percent.
A closer look at the numbers shows that attendance rose from about 7,597 people in 1975, to 13,584 in 1977. Only an attraction like Pele could cause such a drastic rise in attendance. It's fair to say that Pele's time with the Cosmos paved the way for soccer to take serious hold in the United States in the decades to come.
"Pele's Soccer" launched for Atari in 1980.
Having a video game designed after you is just awesome. And you thought FIFA was cool? Try moving Pele around on the field with the original Atari joystick. We're sure this is quite the collector's item now.
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He holds the record for the most goals scored for the national team, a record that has stood for roughly 40 years.
There have been a host of talented footballers to play for Brazil, but none have been able to best the mark set forth by Pele. His 77 international goals in 92 appearances is downright surreal.
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On Oct. 1, 1977, Pele played his last game as Santos took on the New York Cosmos at Giants Stadium.
It's no secret that Pele played his last game on this date, but did you know that he played the first half for Santos and the second for the Cosmos? He only scored once, however, during the first half with Santos. It was raining hard by the end of the match, which prompted Brazilian journalists to say that even the sky was crying over Pele's retirement.
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A young Pele used to play with grapefruits and a sock stuffed with paper, as he could not afford to buy a soccer ball.
How many grapefruits and pairs of socks do you think Pele and his friends went through back in the day? We're thinking the over/under has to be somewhere around 5,000.
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Pele scored 92 hat tricks, four goals on 31 occasions, five on six occasions, and once scored eight.
We're not math majors over here, but that's an awful lot of multi-goal games. 92 hat tricks? After 50 it had to just be expected that Pele was going to score at least twice on any given day.
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Pele is the only player to have been a part of three World Cup winning teams.
When you realize that the World Cup is only held once every four years, just playing in four World Cups is quite an achievement in its own right. Holding the distinction as the only player to win three World Cups, well that's just Pele. Can we start using that as a category for achieving ridiculous things in soccer?
In Brazil, Coca-Cola sponsors a Pele museum on wheels that travels throughout the country.
We wish we had a Coca-Cola sponsored museum on wheels. This is how a legend should be remembered. We wonder what the dude who runs this tribute is like, perhaps it's a whole team of Coca-Cola/Pele devotees who man the exhibition?
Pele's first football team was a bunch of friends from his neighborhood, and they called themselves the "shoeless ones".
Like most Brazilian kids, and other South American countries for that matter, Pele and his mates grew up playing soccer in the street. We think it's safe to assume that if he couldn't afford a real ball to play with, the latest pair of boots was definitely out of the question. Of course, Pele embraced the situation in typical G fashion by assuming the identity of not having shoes.
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The Brazilian government declared Pele an official national treasure in 1961 to prevent him from being transferred to foreign clubs.
We see you, government of Brazil. Would you want to let one of your countries greatest assets ship off to Europe, and take all of that money and fame with him? We know American soccer fans wish the government could've done something like this to prevent New Jersey native Giuseppe Rossi from jumping ship. Also, how many dudes can say they've been declared a national treasure?
Pele's first professional contract was for $10 a month when he signed for Santos in 1956.
Talk about a bargain buy. $10 a month for the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of boots? We still can't get over this one. Obviously, Pele was slated for a raise in the near future, the very near future.
He received the nickname Pele from a classmate, he hated it so much that he punched the student.
Who would've thought that this was the way in which Pele received the nickname that everyone associates him with? We bet he would never have knocked that kid out if he knew the fame that was about to come down the line, or maybe he still would. We see you, Edson.
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He wasn't a fan of diving.
"A penalty is a cowardly way to score" – Pele. The way dudes like Balotelli, Suarez, and Bale flop around in the box today, that Pele quote should be plastered all over training rooms. The game clearly isn't what it was during Pele's time. The idea of doing what it takes to win no matter what, even if it means attempting to deceive the referee, is something Pele and co. surely would frown upon.
Pele has helped raise millions for charities like Great Ormond Street and Harlem Street Soccer.
To be an athlete with such influence and power on the global stage, and not help grow the game while showing support for the youth just wouldn't be right. Of course, if you're Pele, your support ranges into the seven figure category. What can we say, dude has a heart of gold.
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When he played for the New York Cosmos so many of his opponents wanted to swap shirts with him that the club had to give each of their opponents a shirt after every match.
And you thought players get giddy with the opportunity to swap shirts with the likes of Messi and Ibrahimovic? FOH! Cosmos personnel had to bring an entire wardrobe of Pele jerseys to NASL matches so that dudes wouldn't catch feelings. The legend only continues to grow.
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In 1967, a 48-hour ceasefire was declared in Nigeria so that federal and rebel troops could watch Pele play on a visit to the war-torn nation.
The King of Football literally had the power to stop a war, albeit for only two days, with his magisterial play. How many athletes can say their reputation on the field went as far as to transcend the political and cultural differences of a nation?
Pele is fifth on the all-time World Cup goal scorers list with 12.
In case you're wondering, No. 1 on the list is Ronaldo of Brazil with 15 goals. Based on the number of games Pele competed in for Brazil from 1958-70, he scored an average of 0.86 goals per game while wearing the yellow and green of the Selecao.
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At Santos, the 19th of November is known as Pele Day, to celebrate the anniversary of his 1,000th goal.
Honestly, are you surprised that the man has a day named in his honor? If you score 1,000 goals that's probably the least you deserve from your first club. Still, not to have a Pele holiday would be egregious in our eyes.
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In 1997, he was given an honorary British knighthood.
Yup, even Queen Elizabeth II had to tip her crown to the heroics of Pele. He was not given the honor of "sir" with his knighting, but he is allowed to use the letters "KBE" after his name. Limitations on the greatest footballer in the history of the game? Please. Check out these other soccer greats that received the honor.
Pele served as the Brazilian Minister of Sport from 1995-98.
Because once you've pretty much come to define the sport, you might as well serve in a role that puts you at the forefront of sport in your home country. Apparently, there were reports of a scandal involving Pele's company stealing charity funds, but the blame landed chiefly with a business partner. Watch the company you keep, Pele.
At 17, Pele became the youngest World Cup winner, he also scored twice in the final against Sweden.
How do you even comprehend such an important moment at just 17 years of age? Most players can only dream of representing their nation in a World Cup let alone helping them win it. Just chalk it up as another reason Pele was like no other.
He was discovered by fellow Brazilian, Waldemar de Brito, who proclaimed Pele would be the greatest football player in the world.
Damn, what do you think the finder's fee should've been for de Brito? If scientists can get ridiculous amounts of money for digging up some old dinosaur bones in the middle of nowhere, then surely the talent that was unearthed by de Brito was worth a pretty penny. Just imagine if Pele was never given the opportunity? We're shuttering too.
Pele signed for Santos at age 15, and proceeded to score four goals in his debut match.
Most 15 year olds are trying not to get eaten alive in high school. But Pele was tearing it up for one of the most legendary South American clubs in the game. Obviously, it wasn't enough to just feature at such a young age, the "Black Pearl" tallied a hat trick plus one.
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Pele was named after inventor Thomas Edison, his full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimiento.
Because Pele's parents clearly knew that their son would shine as bright as a light bulb on the pitch, they named him after the famous inventor. Pele lit it up for club and country throughout his 22-year career. His achievements transcended the game and helped build the global brand of soccer.