| Name | Edson Arantes do Nascimento |
| Starting Number | #10 |
| Born | 23 October 1940 in Tres Coracoes, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 172 cm / 5 feet 7 inches |
| Weight | 67 kg / 150 pounds |
| Foot | Right |
| Teams | Santos (Brazil) New York Cosmos (USA) |
| Nicknames | The King |
| Skills | Dribbling, finishing |
Pelé is one of the first soccer players to achieve massive international acclaim. His name is regularly mentioned today, more than a quarter century after his retirement. Pelé started as a poor boy from the slums in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. His father, Dondinho, was very influential in his son’s success. Dondinho was a former footballer and made sure to pass over his knowledge to young Pelé. This paid off and by the age of 15, Pelé was signed by Santos. His international debut followed just a year after on the 7-th of July, 1957 against Argentina.
Merely at the age of 17, Pelé was recruited to Brazil’s 1958 World Cup squad. In the World Cup, he attracted attention by scoring the goal against Wales that clinched Brazil to the next round. Pelé proved that he wasn’t a fluke in the following match by scoring a hat-trick versus France. Two more goals in the final ascertained his status as a soccer superstar. On the club level, Pelé’s sensational scoring, earned his club Santos the Intercontinental Cup in 1962 and 1963.
Although Brazil won the World Cup 1962 in Chile, Pelé missed out most of the tournament due to an injury. In World Cup 1966, Pelé was once again forced to permanently leave the pitch after being ferociously tackled. Many began to doubt Pelé and his superstar status, until he made his triumphant return at World Cup 1970, dazzling audiences worldwide. This was the first World Cup broadcast in color and was shown across an unprecedented number of countries. In front of over 100,000 spectators at Azteca Stadium, Mexico and millions of TV viewers, Pelé scored the first goal of the final against Italy. His goal opened the floodgates to Brazil’s crushing 4-1 victory and reclaimed Pelé as “The King”.
In the 1970′s, aging Pelé was signed by the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. Pelé eventually retired as the only player with over 1000 goals in professional football.