Edson Arantes do Nascimento Pele was born October 23, 1940 in Tres Coracoes, a small town in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil.
He was named Edson, after Thomas Edison, because electricity had just been introduced to his hometown in Brazil when he was born. He received the nickname “Pelé” during his school days.
Pele started his career at Club Santo in Brazil, at the age of 16, and in 1958 when he turned 18, he won the World Cup. The same year, he paused his career to join the Brazilian Army and has since then been referred to as “The man who stopped a war”.
Pele went on an excursion to Africa. Playing in Nigeria during the civil war, both sides had a three-day ceasefire so they could see Pele’s team play.
During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962, and 1970, the only player to do so. He was nicknamed “O Rei” meaning “The King” following the 1958 tournament.
Pelé is the joint-top goal scorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. His electrifying play and penchant for scoring spectacular goals made him a star around the world. He led Brazil to three World Cup football (soccer) championships (1958, 1962, and 1970). He scored 12 goals in World Cup play and tallied more than 1,000 goals in first-class matches.
Pele scored 1,283 goals throughout his career and retired in 1977.
He was appointed Brazil’s minister of sports and held the position for 3 years. During his ministerial appointment, he enacted the “Pele Law” which brought more incentives and transparency to how federal money was spent on sports.
Immanuel Burns Johnson is an Operations Manager and digital strategist with a strong foundation in social media management and content development. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, he has built his career by combining creativity, structure, and leadership.
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