Pelé

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Pele .

Pelé
Pelé in the jersey of FC Santos (1970)
Personnel
Surname	Edson Arantes do Nascimento
birthday	October 23, 1940
place of birth	Três Corações ,  Brazil
size	173 cm
position	Storm
Juniors
Years	station
1952-1956	Bauru AC
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
1956-1974	FC Santos	638 (619)
1975-1977	New York Cosmos	64 0(37)
National team
Years	selection	Games (goals) 2
1957-1971	Brazil	92 0(77)
1 Only league games are given. Status: end of career 2 Status: end of career

Pelé (born  October 23, 1940 in Três Corações ; real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento , noted in his birth certificate as Edison Arantes do Nascimento ) is a former Brazilian football player who was also the Minister of Sports .

Pelé won a total of 26 national and international titles with FC Santos in 17 years, including ten times the National Championship Campeonato Paulista (1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973), four times the Torneio Rio-São Paulo (1959, 1963, 1964, 1966), five times the Taça Brasil (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965), twice the Copa Libertadores ( 1962 , 1963 ) and the World Cup ( 1962 , 1963 ) as well as the Torneio once each Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (1968), the Supercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales (1968) and the Recopa Intercontinental (1968). He was the top scorer several times in various tournaments. After moving to New York Cosmos in 1975 , he was able to win the US soccer championship (1977) with his new club .

With the Brazilian national team he won the soccer world championship three times ( 1958 , 1962 , 1970 ). With 77 goals in 92 international matches, the former striker has become the record scorer for the Brazilian national team and also one of the top scorer in the Copa America ( 1959 ).

In addition to winning the World Cup three times, his total of 1281 goals in 1363 games ( 767 goals in 831 competitive games with additional goals in friendly games with Santos FC, New York Cosmos and Brazil; odds: 0.94) are often given as arguments, making Pelé the best football player or at least one of the best football players in history. Pelé won the South American Footballer of the Year (1973) and South American Footballer of the 20th Century (1998) election . On January 4, 2000, he was named World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics ( IFFHS ) . He also received the FIFA World Player of the 20th Century Award in 1999 to recognize his special status (shared with Diego Armando Maradona ) . In the same year, Pelé was also named Sportsman of the Century (football) by the International Olympic Committee (without participating in the Olympic Games ) . After his career he received the FIFA Ballon d'Or (2013) honorary award for life's work.

After finishing his active career, Pelé was an advertising medium in demand around the world and founded a sports marketing agency. In his home country he is also known as Pérola Negra (Black Pearl), O Rei do Futebol (King of Football), O Rei Pelé (King Pelé) or simply O Rei (The King). In his honor, the Small World Cup for Seniors was named the Pelé Cup (1987 to 1995). From 1995 to 1998 he held the post of sports minister in the social democratic government of Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso .

youth

Pelé's father Dondinho in the jersey of Atlético Mineiro ( ca.1944 )

Waldemar de Brito , Pele's discoverer

Pelé was born on October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, a small town in the south of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, and was the eldest child from the marriage of João Ramos do Nascimento ( "Dondinho" ) with Maria Celeste Arantes. Based on the world-famous inventor Thomas Alva Edison , his parents gave him the first name Edson ( “Édson” without “i”, often also “Edson” without an accent, was a first name in Brazil even before he was born) Birth certificate is incorrectly recorded as Edison. In the course of his life, Pelé declared several times that he insisted on the use of the name Edson.

Pelé's father Dondinho was a talented footballer about to embark on a professional career with Atlético Mineiro . After sustaining a complicated knee injury in his first professional game, which did not allow for further stress at this level, he was forced to offer himself to lower-class clubs. In 1944 he was signed by the Bauru Atlético Clube (BAC) and at the same time got a job as a cleaner in the local hospital. Dondinho therefore moved with his family to the city of Bauru ( state of São Paulo ). The hoped-for improvement in the economic situation did not materialize as a result of the change of location, and the family in Bauru continued to live in poor conditions. The father's salary was not enough to feed the five family members - little Edson had two siblings with Jair ( "Zoca" ) and Maria Lúcia - his mother Dona Celeste also earned money as a laundress . In order to contribute to the family's livelihood himself, Edson, whom everyone affectionately called "Dico" , hired himself as a shoe shiner at the train station and in the affluent neighborhoods or ran errands for his mother. In his spare time Edson loved to play football and he knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a professional player. This passion went so far that he often stayed away from classes at the Ernesto Monte elementary school and instead played football for the Sete de Setembro street team. The team was also known as the “Schuhlose” because no child could afford proper shoes and therefore they played barefoot . The balls consisted only of socks tied together or a grapefruit .

During this time his nickname "Pelé" arose , the exact origin of which remains unclear. In his autobiography he claims to have raved about "Bilé" , the goalkeeper of Vasco São Lourenço , as a child . Due to its imprecise pronunciation, it became “Pilé” , which ultimately became “Pelé” . Thus, the name of what is probably the most famous footballer in the world has no special meaning and was initially not even particularly liked by its wearer.

In 1952, the BAC founded the youth team "Baquinho" and hired the former Brazilian international Waldemar de Brito as a coach. This spotted some of the city's talents, including Pelé, and brought them into the team. There, the now eleven-year-old received professional support and was the first to play in football boots on a proper pitch . Under de Brito's guidance, Baquinho was one of the best youth teams in the state of São Paulo and won the regional youth championship twice. Dondinho also encouraged his son's talent and gave him additional individual training.

Club career

FC Santos (1956 to 1974)

Pelé on the cover of El Grafico (1958)

Pelé in the jersey of FC Santos (1963)

Special stamp of the Brazilian Post on the occasion of the O Milésimo

Coach De Brito recognized Pelé's enormous footballing potential and arranged a trial training session at FC Santos, the reigning national champions of São Paulo, in the spring of 1956. He introduced his protégé to those in charge with the words that he had the talent to become “the greatest footballer in the world”. Pelé convinced head coach Lula in training , who then wanted to sign him immediately. The club offered the 15-year-old an amateur contract which, in addition to a monthly salary of 6000 Cruzeiros, also included accommodation in the port city of Santos and the guarantee of being allowed to train with the professional squad from now on. Pelé accepted the offer, finished school without a degree and left the poor district of his hometown. A few months later, on September 7, 1956, he played his first game for the seniors in the friendly against Corinthians Santo André . Pelé came on as a substitute in the second half and scored a goal in the 7-1 win.

At the beginning of 1957, Pelé moved up permanently to the professional squad of FC Santos and was a regular player by storm after a few games. At 16, he was Campeonato Paulista's top scorer in his first full season (36 goals in 29 games) and was hailed by the press as Pérola Negra (Black Pearl) . In July 1957, Pelé was appointed to the national team and won the title with her at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Pelé returned to his homeland as a world star and was reverently called O Rei (the King) . Due to his strong performances during the World Cup tournament in Sweden, Pelé was courted by financially strong European clubs such as Real Madrid , Juventus Turin , Inter Milan and AC Milan . These offered high transfer fees and salaries, but the Brazilian government declared the exceptional footballer a “national good” and forbade a transfer to Europe. Pelé then signed his first professional contract with Santos, which guaranteed him a monthly base salary of the equivalent of 3579 euros, which was higher than the salary of the Brazilian president.

In addition to the success with the national team, the first titles were also set at club level in 1958: Santos was champion of Campeonato Paulista and Pelé was again top scorer with 58 goals (in 38 games). Victories in Taça Brasil, the forerunner of a national championship, and in the prestigious Torneio Rio-São Paulo followed. This was the beginning of "Super Santos" , which rose to become the best club team in South America within a few years .

The team's game was characterized by a straight-line short passing game, elegant combinations as well as unpredictable technical tricks and finesse, many opponents were downright outclassed, victories were not uncommon. Opponents who were partially overwhelmed often only knew how to defend themselves with a rude, overly harsh style of play or verbal attacks. At the beginning of the 1960s, the team won around 85 percent of their games, which earned them the name "ballet blanco" (white ballet) . The zenith of this team marked the years 1962 and 1963. 1962 was the most successful year in club history with five titles: After victories over Peñarol Montevideo ( 2: 1, 2: 3, 3: 0 ) Santos won the Copa Libertadores , the South American for the first time Counterpart to the European Cup and the World Cup against Benfica Lisbon ( 3: 2, 5: 2 ). In the following year, they successfully defended their title both in the Copa Libertadores ( 3: 2 and 2: 1 against Boca Juniors ) and in the World Cup ( 2: 4, 4: 2 and 1: 0 against AC Milan). The undisputed star of the team was Pelé, and although he scored by far the most goals with 40 to 50 goals this season, Santos was by no means a "one-man show" . His teammates made up the core of the Brazilian national team, including goalkeeper Gilmar , defenders Mauro Ramos , Carlos Alberto and Calvet , playmaker Zito , left winger Pepe and Pelé's strike partner Coutinho .

During the 1960s, FC Santos was a veritable “ soccer machine ” that played numerous financially lucrative friendlies around the world (22 games in six weeks were not uncommon). In the pre- information society era , this was the only way to present Superstar Pelé to a global audience and watch him play. Because of his skin color, the black Pelé was a positive symbolic figure and a bearer of hope, especially for the people in Africa , which is why the conflicting parties to the Biafra War interrupted the fighting in 1967 to allow FC Santos a friendly game in Lagos . Last but not least, there were also commercial interests of the club management behind these games, which were necessary in order to be able to pay the high player salaries.

On November 19, 1969, Pelé scored his 1000th goal in the game against CR Vasco da Gama (2-1), which was celebrated as "O Milésimo" . When the attacker, already a national hero at the time, scored the goal with a penalty kick in the 34th minute , cheering fans, photographers and journalists stormed the lawn of the Estádio do Maracanã , which is why the game had to be interrupted for 20 minutes. Church bells rang in large parts of Brazil. and the military junta also knew how to use the event in a media-effective manner, with President Emílio Médici Pele publicly congratulating and presenting him with a golden ball. The Brazilian Post issued a stamp especially for the occasion.

At the beginning of the 1970s, the successful era of FC Santos was drawing to a close. They were no longer the dominant team in the country and had lost the playful splendor of past years, and Pelé also showed signs of physical wear and tear. 80 to 90 games a year, often combined with strenuous trips abroad, plus countless fouls against him, had left his mark and had taken their toll. On the field of play, Pelé often appeared untrained, tired and absent. After 17 years in the jersey of FC Santos, Pelé announced his retirement from active professional sport in 1974. He played his last game on October 2, 1974 against AA Ponte Preta (2-0).

New York Cosmos (1975 to 1977)

Cover picture of El Gráfico on Pelé's farewell in 1977

Due to ongoing financial problems, Pelé was forced to resume his already ended career. Dubious business partners had embezzled almost all of his assets in a risky real estate deal and the creditors demanded around two million US dollars from him. Pelé announced his resignation and in 1975 signed a contract with New York Cosmos from the North American professional league NASL, which brought him around six million dollars. The aim of the league officials was to make football more popular in the USA , and so it made sense to sign the "King of Football" . Pelé brought an unprecedented shine to previously dreary US football and other old stars such as George Best , Giorgio Chinaglia , Johan Cruyff or Franz Beckenbauer also moved to the United States and ensured a short-lived "football boom."

In June 1975 Pelé went into the game business and his first appearance in the game against the Dallas Tornado (June 15, 1975) was broadcast live on the television station CBS . Other top players such as Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto also switched to Cosmos, which won the US championship in 1977 with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders . On October 1, 1977, Pelé finally ended his career and on this occasion a farewell game between Cosmos and FC Santos (2-1) was held. US television broadcast the sporting event live and embedded the game in a glamorous show act, in which, in addition to Pelé's father Dondinho and brother Zoca, other sports greats such as Muhammad Ali and Bobby Moore were invited. While Pelé played for New York Cosmos in the first half, he finished the second half in the shirt of FC Santos.

National team

Just seven months after his competitive debut for FC Santos, the 16-year-old Pelé was appointed to the squad of the Brazilian national team and played his first international match against Argentina (1: 2) on July 7, 1957 . He scored the only goal for his team and is the Seleção's youngest goalscorer to date.

1958 World Cup in Sweden

Pelé after winning the world title in 1958

Brazil 1958 : Vicente Feola (coach), Djalma Santos, Zito, Bellini, Nilton Santos, Orlando, Gilmar - Garrincha, Didi, Pelé, Vava, Zagallo.

Pelé was part of the Brazilian World Cup squad in 1958 and, at the age of 17, was the youngest player in the finals in Sweden. Due to injury, he was not included in the first two preliminary round games ( 3-0 against Austria, 0-0 against England ), but when the team demanded changes after the moderate start of national coach Vicente Feola , he provided three new ones: Garrincha , Zito and Pelé Offensive player for the third game against the Soviet Union . With their revolutionary 4-2-4 formation around the offensive series Garrincha, Vavá , Pelé and Mário Zagallo , the playful Brazilians thrilled the audience and gave the Soviet Union no chance in a 2-0 victory. After this convincing performance, they met Wales in the quarter-finals and initially ran in vain against the Welsh defensive bulwark. After all, it was Pelé who pushed Brazil through to the semi-finals with his decisive goal to make it 1-0. The game against the strong French was even referred to as an anticipated final. The outstanding Pelé promoted the Seleção with a hat trick within 22 minutes (53rd, 64th, 75th) almost single - handedly to the final (final score 5: 2) and the football world was amazed at the light-footed black boy from the Brazilian hinterland, who the seasoned European defender seemingly easily dribbled around. Pelé's feeling for the ball was unmatched, his playful lightness and cheekiness almost “brazen.” Brazil went into the final against hosts Sweden as the clear favorite , who had absolutely no chance against South American football from the other planet and were clearly defeated 5-2. Again, Pelé was the outstanding player. Not to be eliminated by anyone, he crowned his performance with two goals worth seeing. Brazil was the first football world champion and had freed itself from the "curse of the Maracanaço " . The poignant images of the weeping Pelé leaning against Gilmar's shoulder went around the world. Within a few days he had risen to a world star and the face of "the king" (O Rei) was emblazoned on countless covers.

With six goals in four games, Pelé was the tournament's second top scorer and was subsequently voted the best young player in the World Cup. In addition, he had set numerous records: youngest player, youngest goalscorer and youngest participant in a World Cup final, as well as youngest world champion.

1962 World Cup in Chile

Pelé 1963

With a large part of the world championship eleven from 1958 they traveled to Chile for the 1962 World Cup , only the sick national coach Feola was represented by Aymoré Moreira . The football world was eagerly awaiting the appearance of the defending champions and especially Pelés, who was able to meet expectations in the 2-0 victory over Mexico with a goal and an assist. But the World Cup tournament was over for him in the second group game against CSSR (0-0): Pelé sustained a thigh injury while attempting to shoot and had to be "parked" on the wing for the rest of the game , as it was at that time Player changes were not yet allowed. He followed the further course of the tournament as a spectator in the stands. Although there were repeated rumors that Pelé would get well again and could at least appear in the final, the world hoped in vain for the skills of the masseur and “miracle healer” Mário Américo . Brazil was able to compensate for the loss of its superstar and confidently defended the title 3-1 in the final against the CSSR .

1966 World Cup in England

In the run-up to the World Cup in England , the Brazilians were considered the big favorites and confidently aimed to defend their title again. However, the preparation for the final round was rather problematic: Coach Feola was unable to find a functioning core formation, as association officials in need of recognition kept getting involved. Brazil started the tournament well with a 2-0 win over Bulgaria (a free-kick goal from Pele), but Pele was attacked extremely hard by their opponents and complained to FIFA about this procedure to no avail. Therefore, he was spared in the following game, but the arrogant demeanor of the team led to the sensational defeat against Hungary (1: 3). The scandal came in the decisive third game, when Pele was hunted and kicked like fair game by the Portuguese defenders . Due to an injury, he had to end the game on the flank and could not prevent the 3-1 defeat that led to Brazil's sensational elimination after the preliminary round. Pelé reacted angrily at FIFA's inaction and declared that he no longer wanted to participate in a World Cup.

1970 World Cup in Mexico

Brazil 1970, second bottom right is Pelé

Under the new national coach João Saldanha , Pelé was initially no longer considered for the Seleção and did not play an international match for almost two years. Saldanha even publicly dismantled the national hero, claiming that Pele had grown old and overweight and also suffered from poor eyesight. Only under massive pressure from the Brazilian government in the run-up to the 1970 World Cup did he return to the national team. The stubborn Saldanha did not agree with this political interference in his work and resigned from his office. Successor was Pelé's former teammate Mário Zagallo , who made him a regular again. Pelé went into the preparation of the tournament highly motivated and after hard, conscientious training work he traveled to Mexico in top form.

There Brazil won Group C (three Pele hits) ahead of defending champions England and was called the absolute tournament favorite. Zagallo had succeeded in shaping the highly gifted individualists into a homogeneous and functioning unit. The offensive row, occupied with exceptional talent like Pelé, Jairzinho , Tostão , Gérson and Roberto Rivelino , could not be controlled by the opponents. Due to constant changes of position, they could hardly be calculated and driven by Pelé, who played like in the best of times and led the team on the field, they were characterized by an unconditional will to win. There was a good atmosphere within the team and the team from 1970 is still called the “best Brazilian national team ever” . In the co-phase they sat safely against Peru (4: 2) and Uruguay (3: 1) and met in the final in Italy . The overwhelmed “Squadra Azzurra” was downright overrun by the Brazilians, who played unleashed, 4: 1, with Pelé making the important 1: 0 with a remarkable header. After the final whistle he took the Coupe Jules Rimet exuberantly .

On July 18, 1971, Pelé put on the yellow national jersey for the last time against Yugoslavia (2-2) and was enthusiastically adopted by 180,000 spectators in the Maracanã Stadium. With 77 goals in a total of 92 games, he is Brazil's record scorer to this day.

Style of play

Pelé (1960)

Pelé's exceptional position in football is justified, among other things, by the fact that he had excellent technique, speed and agility. He was equally technically gifted with both feet and hit the head too. Above all, he was able to immediately and intuitively recognize how and in which direction the opponent would move. With it he developed a body feeling like few other athletes.

Titles and awards

societies

• National Championship Campeonato Paulista (10): 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973
• Torneio Rio-São Paulo (4): 1959, 1963, 1964, 1966
• Taça Brasil (5): 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
• Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (1): 1968
• Copa Libertadores (2): 1962 , 1963
• World Cup (2): 1962 , 1963
• Supercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales (1): 1968
• Recopa Intercontinental (1): 1968
• Master of the North American Soccer League (1): 1977

National team

• World Champion (3): 1958 , 1962 , 1970

Personal awards

Sporting honors

• South American Footballer of the Year (1): 1973
• South America's 20th Century Footballers : 1998
• 20th Century Players ( FIFA ): 1999
• Players of the 20th Century ( World Soccer Magazine ): 1999
• Athletes of the 20th Century ( IOC ): 1999 (without participation in the Olympic Games )
• Honorary Award of the FIFA Ballon d'Or : 2013 (for his life's work)

Extra sports honors

• 1965: Honorary Citizen of Santos , Brazil
• Ambassador of UNESCO
• 1997: Honorary acceptance as Knight Commander in the Order of the British Empire
• 2005: Honorary member of the German soccer club Rot-Weiss Essen
• 2006: Golden City Hall Man of the City of Vienna
• 2007: Honorary member of the German soccer club 1. FC Cologne

Top scorer

Club (FC Santos)

• Top scorer of the national championship Campeonato Paulista (11): 1957 (20 goals), 1958 (58 / record), 1959 (45), 1960 (34), 1961 (47), 1962 (37), 1963 (22), 1964 (34 ), 1965 (49), 1968 (26), 1973 (11)
• Top scorer of the Torneio Rio-São Paulo (4): 1961 (7 goals), 1963 (15), 1964 (3), 1965 (8)
• Top scorer of Taça Brasil (2): 1961 (9 goals), 1963 (12)
• Copa Libertadores top scorer : 1963 (11 goals)

National team

• Copa America top scorer : 1959 (8 goals)

Records

• Record goalscorer for the Brazilian national team (77 goals in 92 international matches)

Other successes

• 1,281 goals in 1,363 games (including friendlies with Santos FC, New York Cosmos and Brazil)

See also : Pelé Cup

Gates

Pelé in the 1958 World Cup final

FC Santos	Games	Gates	Goal rate
Campeonato Paulista	412	470	1.14
Torneio Rio-São Paulo	53	49	0.92
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa	56	36	0.64
Taça Brasil	33	30th	0.91
Campeonato Brasileiro	84	34	0.40
Copa Libertadores	15th	17th	1.13
World cup	3	7th	2.33
Other	10	3	0.33
Competitive games total	666	646	0.97
Friendly matches	459	445	0.97
total	1125	1091	0.97
New York Cosmos
NASL	64	37	0.58
Friendly matches	43	27	0.63
total	107	64	0.60
Brazil	92	77	0.84
Other	39	49	1.26
Entire career	1363	1281	0.94

Career after active sport

Pelé in Davos (2006)

After his career ended in 1977, Pelé worked in his capacity as UN special envoy for numerous development projects around the world. He also founded a sports marketing agency with annual sales of around $ 20 million. It is in great demand due to its popularity (including American Express , Pepsi , Viagra ). President Fernando Henrique Cardoso made him Extraordinary Minister of Sports ( Ministério do Esporte ) from 1995 to 1998 . His commitment to a more open marketing of football rights provoked criticism. He was accused of acting not in the interests of football, but in his own interest, since a regulation he issued favored sports marketing companies. On June 10, 2010, he presented the “Pelé Sports” brand in Johannesburg ( South Africa ) , the first collection of which consists of soccer shoes with the model names “1958”, “1962” and “1970” as well as sports and lifestyle textiles.

family

Pelé married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholby on February 21, 1966. This connection resulted in two daughters and a son. That marriage ended in divorce in 1982. One of his sons, Edson Cholbi Nascimento , also became a soccer player. As a goalkeeper he was u. a. active at FC Santos . In February 2017, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for involvement in drug money laundering . In the first instance, he was sentenced to 33 years in prison in 2014.

In the 1990s, Pelé recognized the paternity of two illegitimate daughters. Between 1994 and 2008 Pele was married to the gospel singer Assíria Lemos Seixas , who gave birth to twins on September 28, 1996.

Pelé with President Dilma Rousseff 2011

Miscellaneous & curiosities

Pelé with President Lula in 2008

On July 17, 1967 Pele joined the Santos FC in a pre-season game at the stadium El Campín of Bogotá against a Colombian youth selection. The game ended 4-2 for Santos. When it came after the recognition of a goal of the selection by referee Guillermo Velásquez to a crowd of Santosians , among them Gilmar , Lima and Pepe , Pelé was sent off the field. However, the audience urged to see Pele. The referee handed the whistle to one of his assistants and Pelé returned from the dressing room to the field. Velásquez later stated that he saw only black players around him and believed that Pele pushed him. 42 years later there was an honorable memory of it in the same location in 2010 on the occasion of a match between the Millonarios and Santa Fe in the presence of Pele.

His name was used by the media as a synonym for an outstanding footballer like Zico ( white Pelé ) or Neymar ( new Pelé ); the footballers Abédi Pelé and Claus-Dieter Wollitz were nicknamed Pelé .

On March 4, 2004, on the occasion of FIFA's 100th anniversary, Pelé made the selection for the FIFA 100 , a list of the 125 best living football players.

Quotes

Pelé (1995)

• “The best player in history was Alfredo Di Stefano . I refuse to classify Pelé as a player. He was above it. ”- Ferenc Puskás
• “I think he's soccer. You have the real Special One - Mr. Pelé. ”- José Mourinho , 2005
• “After the fifth goal, I even wanted to applaud.” - Sigvard Parling , after the 1958 World Cup final
• “When I saw Pelé play, I just wanted to hang up my football boots.” - Just Fontaine , 1958 World Cup top scorer
• “Pelé is simply the most complete player I've ever seen.” - Bobby Moore , after Brazil's 1-0 win over England in the group game in Guadalajara
• “I remember when Saldanha was asked by a Brazilian journalist who was the best goalkeeper in his squad. He replied "Pelé". The man could play in all positions. ”- Bobby Moore
• “Before the final, I said to myself: Pele is flesh and bone, just like me. Then I realized that I was wrong. ”- Tarcisio Burgnich after the 1970 World Cup final
• “The best player ever? Pelé. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with exceptional skills, but Pele was better. ”- Alfredo Di Stéfano
• “I've never had idols. But since I'm Brazilian, I'm like everyone else in this country. Since we are good Brazilians, Pelé is our god, or at least he's mine. The game shouldn't actually be called soccer, but Pelé. ”- Romário
• “A silent Pelé is a poet.” Romário about Pelé's request to end his career. - Romario
• “There will only be one Pelé, as there was also only a Frank Sinatra or just a Michelangelo . I was the best. ”- Pelé
• “Poor, rich, ugly or beautiful, all people are equal to God. I don't know why he gave me this gift of all people. I could only have played soccer in my life. Michelangelo painted, Beethoven played the piano and I played football. ”- Pelé

Movie

• Pelé played along with many other former professional football players in the film Escape or Victory (1981). He took on the role of an American prisoner of war and also showed his footballing skills: he scored the decisive goal with an overhead kick. He was also involved in creating the choreography for the soccer scenes in the film.
• Pelé and Garrincha - Brazilian football kings. (OT: Pelé, Garrincha, Dieux du Brésil .) France, 2002, 81 min., Director: Jean-Christophe Rose
• Pelé Eterno , documentation, 125 min., By Anibal Massaini Neto, Brazil, 2004
• Legends: Pelé , documentary, 45 min., Script and direction: Christian Weisenborn, production: ARD , first broadcast: May 29, 2006
• Pelé - The film , biopic , which deals with the early days of the footballer's career and the relationship with his father at that time. The film was first screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New Yorkin April 2016and released in May 2016.

literature

• Edson Arantes do Nascimento (with Orlando Duarte and Alex Bellos): Pelé - My Life. Scherz, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 3-502-18000-8 .
• Martin Klein: Pelé and me. Carlsen, Hamburg 2006, ISBN 3-551-55415-3 (children's book)
• Harry Harris: Pelé. His life and times. Welcome Rain Publishers, New York 2002, ISBN 1-56649-223-8 .
• Gerhard Hess: Pele. King on the green lawn. Copress-Verlag, Munich 1991, ISBN 3-7679-0361-X .
• Fritz Hack: Black Pearl Pelé. The best soccer player in the world. The man of 1000 goals. Moewig, Munich 1969.
• Mauricio de Sousa: Pelezinho. Susanna Rieder Verlag, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-943919-21-9 .
• Pelé and Brian Winter: Pelé - Why Football? Hannibal Verlag, Höfen 2014, ISBN 978-3-85445-452-6 (Original edition: Why Soccer Matters )

Web links

Commons : Pelé  - collection of images

Wikiquote: Pelé  - Quotes

• Literature by and about Pelé in the catalog of the German National Library
• Pelé in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Pelé in the nndb (English)
• Escola do Rei website with a biography of Pelé
• Pelé Sports website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} birth certificate n.º 7095, folie 123, book 21-A - registry office on Três Corações: “CERTIDÃO DE NASCIMENTO - CERTIFICO que sob on ° 7.095 às fls. 123 do livro n ° 21-A de Registro de Nascimento consta o assento de Edison Arantes do Nascimento, nascido aos vinte e um (21) outubro de mil novecentos e quarenta (1940) às 03 horas e --- minutos em esta Cidade de Três Corações, sexo masculino, filho de João Ramos do Nascimento e de Celeste Arantes. "
2. ↑ ^{a b} His name is "Edison" according to Pelé Eterno - Universal Studios
3. ↑ ^{a b} Recopa Sudamericana 1968 , Spanish (accessed April 7, 2014)
4. ↑ ^{a b} Recopa Intercontinental , Spanish (accessed April 7, 2014)
5. ^ Robert Ley: IFFHS HISTORY: THE WORLD'S BEST PLAYER OF THE CENTURY (1900-1999). In: IFFHS. October 6, 2017, Retrieved September 4, 2019 (American English). 
6. ↑ 'I'm the Player of the Century, Pele's award isn't worth sh * t' - Maradona | Goal.com. Retrieved September 4, 2019 . 
7. ↑ FIFA.com: Welcome to FIFA.com News - Pelé and Maradona - two very different number tens - FIFA.com. Retrieved September 4, 2019 (UK English). 
8. ↑ ^{a b} fifa.com: "Pelé honored with honorary award"
9. ^ Frank Northen Magill: Dictionary of World Biography. Volume 9: The 20th century. OZ. Routledge, 1999, ISBN 1-57958-048-3 , p. 4175.
10. ^ Louis Massarela "Exclusive interview: Pele on his Santos years". FourFourTwo. (July 2017)
11. ↑ Pelé: The best footballer of all time. Retrieved October 25, 2016 . 
12. ↑ ^{a b c} "Legenden: Pelé" , ARD , May 29, 2006 (accessed on April 7, 2014)
13. ↑ kenn.com
14. ↑ Times Daily - September 1, 1977 (English), accessed August 25, 2016.
15. ↑ Pele's Farewell Game, And That's Not All Folks - New York Times - September 25, 1977 (English), accessed August 25, 2016.
16. ↑ Broder-Jürgen Trede: Pelé's thousandth hit: "The most cowardly way to score a goal" . In: Spiegel Online . October 23, 2015 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 26, 2019]).
17. ↑ Column 4, at the bottom: "Honorary Citizen of Santos" . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna August 19, 1965, p. 12 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
18. ↑ Education: Sir Pele Lends his support. December 4, 1997, accessed July 26, 2019 . 
19. ↑ (caption :) Since getting married, playing soccer with half his heart: King Pele and his wife on their honeymoon at a Viennese Heuriger . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna December 11, 1966, p. 13 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
20. ^ Son Edson has to go to prison , report on spiegel.de from February 25, 2017, accessed on July 2, 2018.
21. ↑ Pelé - Último Capítulo , terra.com.br, Portuguese (accessed November 2, 2015)
22. ↑ Pelé será homenageado no estádio em que "expulsou" o árbitro ( Memento from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), esportes.r7, January 13, 2010 (accessed on November 1, 2015)
23. ↑ Article about Neymar ( Memento from August 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
24. ↑ The "white Pelé" | World Championship. Retrieved on July 26, 2019 (German). 
25. ↑ FOCUS Online: "Pele" back in Osnabrück. Retrieved July 26, 2019 . 
26. ↑ Abédi Pelé: Ralf Rangnick brings his son. Retrieved July 26, 2019 . 
27. ↑ Ferenc Puskás on Pele , report on fifa.com of October 23, 2010.
28. ↑ Special One - Mr. Pelé , report on bbc.co.uk dated December 11, 2005, page in English, accessed on May 15, 2019.
29. ↑ Sigvard Parling on Pelé , report on tagesspiegel.de from October 23, 2015, accessed on May 15, 2019.
30. ↑ Just Fontaine on Pelé , report on spiegel.de of October 23, 2015, accessed on May 15, 2019.
31. ^ Bobby Moore on Pelé , report on independent.co.uk of December 23, 1999, English page, accessed on May 15, 2019.
32. ↑ Tarcisio Burgnich on Pelé , report on espn.go.com from 2003, accessed on May 15, 2019.
33. ↑ Alfredo Di Stéfano on Pelé , report on espn.co.uk of September 10, 2012, accessed on May 15, 2019.
34. ↑ Pelé our God , report on noz.de from June 20, 2014, accessed on May 16, 2019.
35. ↑ Romário about Pelé , report on 11freunde.de from December 31, 2013, accessed on May 16, 2019.
36. ↑ Pelés Michelangelo comparison , report on tagesspiegel.de from October 23, 2015, accessed on May 15, 2019.
37. ↑ Quotation poor, rich, ugly or beautiful , report on augsburger-allgemeine.de from October 22, 2015, accessed on May 16, 2019.
38. ↑ Pelé and Garrincha : Summary ( memo of November 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) by arte
39. ↑ Pelé Eterno. Internet Movie Database , accessed June 10, 2015 . 
40. ↑ Pelé. Internet Movie Database , accessed June 10, 2015 . 
41. ↑ Reading sample: My life (PDF; 5.7 MB) by Pelé

predecessor	Office	successor
-	Best Young Player of the 1958 World Cup (subsequent internet vote)	Flórián Albert