Today we celebrate a Legend whose legacy will forever be celebrated in the history of Soccer. His achievements have earned him the right titles in the sport he most loved.
Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, winner of three World Cups with the Seleção and numerous other titles, succumbed to colon cancer. The death of the only man to win the World Cup three times as a player was confirmed by his daughter Kely Nascimento on Instagram.
The name Pele came about when the three-year-old was supporting a footballing friend of his father by the name of Bile. Unable to pronounce the name Pele came out instead and the name then stuck for the rest of his life.
Pele played his first match for Brazilian club Santos, where he would stay for 18 years, At just 16 years and 9 months, Pele turned out for Brazil in a Copa America match against Argentina at the Maracana stadium where he would score the first of his 77 goals in his international career. He shot to global fame, scoring twice in the World Cup final in a 5-2 win for Brazil over hosts Sweden.
Pelé, was the all-time leading scorer in the history of the sport with 1,283 goals in 1,366 matches and his achievements include; Three FIFA World Cups ( 1958, 1962 & 1970), an all time TOP goalscorer for Brazil and Santos and the Youngest player to score a hattrick in FIFA World Cup. To this day he remains the youngest man to play in a final, and of course the youngest man to score in one.
Watch Top 10 Impossible Goals ever of PELE!
Rest in Peace Legend!
