The adjective “greatness” comes to mind when someone mentions Pelé. One of the best soccer players of all time can also be characterized by other adjectives, such as goalscorer, World Cup champion, record-breaker, dribbler, fancy, ambassador, and vocalist.
Pelé accomplished everything, and he did it in an era when word of mouth spread faster than it does now. Pelé didn’t fully immerse himself in his brand and the possibilities of his global popularity outside of soccer until he moved to play in the United States.
How many goals did Pelé score? Pelé won how many World Cups? How many teams has Pelé been a part of? Here is a brief biography of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, for a younger audience. He is one of the sports’ most recognizable figures.
Where did Pelé grow up?
The son of a soccer player named Dondinho, Pelé was born on October 23, 1940, in TrêsCoraçes, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He has two older brothers. He was raised in a poor neighborhood and was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison.
How did Pelé come by his nickname?
Pelé mispronounced the name of Bilé, a goalie for Vasco da Gama, one of his favorite players from when he was younger. Pelé has said that he has no idea what the name means, but the nickname stuck and has been with him ever since.
Pelé’s debut club Santos
Given that he spent most of his career with one club, Pelé is unusual in the sports world. Santos FC is that team. In 496 official games, while playing for Santos, Pelé scored 504 goals. He would join the squad in 1956, and the rest is history. A remarkable number, Pelé appeared to achieve goals at will and possessed amazing dribbling and heading skills because of his high jumping ability.
At Santos, Pelé won six Brazilian league championships, two Copa Libertadores, two Intercontinental Cups (the precursor to the modern Club World Cup), one Intercontinental Super Cup, ten Paulista championships, and four Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo championships.
Which teams sought to sign Pelé when he was at Santos?
Despite a lengthy tenure at Santos, Pelé’s stature in the globe increased, and at the 1958 World Cup, he astounded everyone with his brilliance. During his tenure at Santos, Pelé got bids from the following teams: Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United all made attempts to sign him, but each time a deal could not be reached.
According to legend, Inter Milan came the closest to luring Pelé away from Santos in 1958. Still, Brazilian President JânioQuadros overruled the outrage of the country’s supporters and declared Pelé an “official national treasure,” preventing him from leaving to play abroad.
The New York Cosmos welcome Pelé.
Pelé’s chance to play club soccer outside his native Brazil arrived in 1975, and the unexpected soccer-hating nation of the United States served as the venue. The goal of signing Pelé was to revive the old NASL and bring the best player in the world to the United States, where soccer had previously been regarded as an international sport that could never gain popularity there.
For the Cosmos, Pelé played 64 games and scored 37 goals. He was reportedly the highest-paid athlete in the world at the time, making an estimated $4 million every season. He would win one NASL championship with the team, but his impact was felt off the field. He moved from playing in front of 3,000 spectators to 50,000 every week at Giants Stadium in an instant after signing his Cosmos contract and the world learning about the NASL. He had an appearance on The Late Night with Johnny Carson, had a meeting with the President of the United States, and when he was at a Mets game at Shea Stadium, he caused the game to be stopped so he could greet the fans on the field. Pelé demonstrated to Americans that soccer was an international sport. He significantly influenced American soccer and helped lay the groundwork for MLS’s success.
Pelé won how many World Cups?
He is the athlete with the most individual world championships, having won the World Cup in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He took home his first World Cup at the age of 17. He scored a total of six goals during the 1958 competition. He played for what many people regarded as the most outstanding soccer team in history at the 1970 World Cup. Rivelino, Jairzinho, Gérson, Carlos Alberto Torres, Tosto, and Clodoaldo were all on Brazil’s 1970 World Cup team.
How many goals did Pelé score at the World Cup?
Pelé is the fifth-highest scorer in World Cup history with 12 goals in 14 games across four tournaments. Germany’s Miroslav Klose is placed first with 16 points. He is also one of four players with four goals in World Cup competitions.
The total number of goals Pelé scored
It’s difficult to say how many goals Pelé has scored because there are conflicting reports. Pelé claims to have scored far over 1200 goals, which might be accurate if you include international exhibitions, friendlies, and competitive games. Pelé scored 784 goals overall throughout his career with Brazil, Santos, and the Cosmos if official games are included.
Diego Maradona and Pelé share the title of FIFA player of the century.
In an odd ceremony still discussed today, FIFA honored the best player of the 20th century at its conclusion. Based on votes from FIFA officials, journalists, and coaches, Pelé was named the winner. Maradona triumphed based on an online survey in which he received 53% of the vote. Since it was claimed that supporters were deleting cookies and voting for Maradona more than ten times, the online poll came under fire.
