Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações, Brazil, Pelé (1940- ),
Brazilian soccer player, who led Brazil to 3 World Cup titles is considered one of the
greatest soccer players of all time.
Pelé was noted for his powerful kicking and skillful ball control and for his brilliant passing and field strategy. He joined the Santos Football Club in 1956, and in 1962 he led the team to its first world club championship.
Pelé is still the only player to participate in three World Cup victories. The 3 World Cup wins came in 1958, 1962, and 1970. By 1970 he had scored his 1000th goal, becoming the most prolific goal-scorer in history. By 1974, when he retired for the first time, Pelé had scored 1200 goals in 1253 games and had become a Brazilian national hero.
From 1975 to 1977 he came out of retirement to play with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, leading them to a league championship in 1977. After his subsequent retirement in 1977, Pelé became an international ambassador for the sport, working to promote peace and understanding through friendly athletic competition.
