Pele soccer biography
Home / Athletes & Sports Figures / Pele soccer biography
Pelé's funeral, which involved his body being publicly displayed in an open coffin which was draped with the flags of Brazil and Santos FC, began at Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos on January 2, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
In addition to his playing salary, Pelé enjoyed lucrative endorsement deals and business ventures, which contributed significantly to his wealth. In the 1960 season, Pelé scored 47 goals and helped Santos regain the Campeonato Paulista. Some have claimed that it came from Pelé’s poor pronunciation of the name of a goalie he admired named “Bilé.” According to this version of events, his teammates half-mockingly gave him the name “Pelé” and he could not shake it.
Pelé's first international match was a 2–1 defeat against Argentina on July 7, 1957 at the Maracanã. Scarecrow Press, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
2008)
Marcia Aoki(m. 1982)
Assíria Lemos Seixas
(m. In others they even kissed the ground he walked on. In his mid-teens, he played for an indoor football team called Radium. During the game, Portugal defender João Morais fouled Pelé, but was not sent off by referee George McCabe; a decision retrospectively viewed as being among the worst refereeing errors in World Cup history.[47] Brazil lost the match against the Portuguese led by Eusébio and were eliminated from the tournament as a result.
The victory allowed Santos to participate in the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club tournament in the Western hemisphere.[23]
1962–1965
| "I arrived hoping to stop a great man, but I went away convinced I had been undone by someone who was not born on the same planet as the rest of us." ——Benfica goalkeeper Costa Pereira following the loss to Santos in 1962.[24] |
Santos's most successful Copa Libertadores season started in 1962.
On November 19, 1969, Pelé scored his 1,000th goal in all competitions, in what was a highly anticipated moment in Brazil.
A few years after that, he said goodbye to his fans at Santos, too. He also set a record for the most FIFA World Cup wins for an individual, with three medals to his name.
Pelé died on December 29, 2022, at 3:27 pm, at the age of 82, due to multiple organ failure, a complication of colon cancer.[17] Pelé was buried at the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica.[18]
Club career
Santos
1956–1962
In 1956, coach de Brito took Pelé to Santos, an industrial and port city located near São Paulo, to try out for professional club Santos FC, telling the club's directors that the 15-year-old would be "the greatest football player in the world."[20] Pelé impressed Santos coach Lula during his trial at the Estádio Vila Belmiro, and he signed a professional contract with the club in June 1956.[21] Pelé was highly promoted in the local media as a future superstar.
Pelé's wife Marcia Aoki, his son Edinho, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez and president of the Brazilian Football Confederation Ednaldo Rodrigues were among those in attendance.[75]
Career statistics
According to the RSSSF, Pelé was one of the most successful goal-scorers in the world.
Landmarks and stadiums lit up in honor of Pelé included the Christ the Redeemer statue and Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the headquarters of CONMEBOL in Paraguay, and Wembley Stadium in London.