Pele

1940-

Brazilian soccer player

T he greatest and most famous soccer player in history, Brazil's Pele revolutionized the game with his electrifying, creative and athletic style of play. He was such an appealing player that he transcended national boundaries in a sport that is almost synonymous with nationalism. Pele became a global ambassador of the sport, bringing increased attention to soccer in many countries, especially the United States.

Kicking the Sock

In October 1940, in the poor town of Tres Coracoes in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, soccer player Dondinho and his wife Celeste Nascimento gave birth to their first child. They christened him Edson Arantes de Nascimento. Two years later another son, Zoca, was born (he was briefly a pro soccer player before becoming a lawyer). His parents couldn't afford to buy Edson a soccer ball, so his father took an old sock and stuffed it with rags, and the child would run shoeless through the streets and kick the sock.

When Edson was six, his family moved to the larger town of Bauru, a railroad junction in southern Brazil. He often skipped school to practice soccer in the fields. To try to earn money for a soccer ball, Edson shined shoes and sold roasted peanuts outside movie theaters. With his friends, he formed a team called the Shoeless Ones. They played barefooted soccer — which later became known as "pelada," after Pele — on the streets or vacant lots. Pele developed many of his feints and unorthodox dribbling maneuvers playing these rough-and-tumble street games.

Pele left school for good after fourth grade, expelled when the head schoolmaster caught him playing soccer during the school day. He took a job as a cobbler's apprentice for $2 a day. His family called him Dico, but his friends bestowed the nickname Pele, which means nothing in Portuguese or any other language. At first he resisted the name because he thought it was an insult, but then he embraced it. In pickup games around Bauru Pele was often the youngest player.

At age 11, Pele was discovered by Waldemar de Brito, one of Brazil's top players. De Brito took him under his wing and trained him in secret. When Pele was 12, de Brito placed him on the local junior club, Baquinho. Pele danced home the day he got his own uniform, because finally he was a real soccer player like his father. "It may not seem such a big deal to some, but to me it was one of the thrills of my life," Pele later revealed to biographer Joe Marcus. He scored many goals for Baquinho, using both his feet and his head to drive balls into the net. Pele's scoring, dribbling and passing skills made him the talk of Brazilian junior soccer.

National Prodigy

When Pele was 15, de Brito brought him to the directors of Santos, a top club team, and told them, "This boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world." In an exhibition game on September 7, 1956, Pele entered the game in the second half for Santos and within a few minutes scored his first goal as a professional. He began earning about $60 a month playing for Santos. In his

second season Pele became a starter on the team and started scoring from everywhere on the field. He was the top scorer in the league and became a national hero by scoring three goals in a game pitting the top players from Santos and another Brazilian club against the Belenenses club from Portugal. Late in 1957, Pele was picked for the National Team

In 1958, between playing on Santos and on the national team, Pele scored 87 goals and assisted on at least another 100. He also brought Brazil glory. Though soccer was a national obsession in Brazil, the country had never won a World Cup. At 17, Pele was the youngest player in the World Cup tournament and a virtual unknown. He rode the bench for the first two games to recuperate from a knee injury he had suffered in a qualifying game. The doctors cleared Pele to play in the final game of the opening round, and he assisted on one goal and hit the goal post on a shot of his own as Brazil won 2-0. In the next match, a quarterfinal game against Wales, Pele scored the only goal.

In the semifinal game, Pele was the sparkplug of the team. After France scored a game-tying goal early in the first half, he snatched the ball out of the net and raced up-field, yelling at his teammates to get going. Pele went on to score three goals in Brazil's victory, a feat which made him famous worldwide. In the final game, he scored two goals and Brazil won the World Cup for the first time by beating Sweden, 5-2. One of his goals became legendary: he caught a long pass by trapping it in his chest, sent it into the air with his left foot without letting it touch the ground, flipped it over his shoulder, and then pivoted and kicked the ball while it was still in the air.

Pele, still a teenager, quickly cemented his reputation as the world's best player. While serving in the army, he played on the national team and on Santos and scored a record 127 goals in 1959. European teams started trying to lure Pele away with offers of more than a million dollars, though no team up until then had ever paid more than $100,000 for a player. Though he could have left Santos to play with an Italian club and still have played for the national team of Brazil, Santos refused to sell him. President Janio Quadros declared Pele "a national treasure" who could not be exported.

While Pele was on the team, Santos won 11 league championships. In 1960, he slipped to 78 goals because he was constantly being double- and triple-teamed by defenders. Pele was happy just to pass the ball off to teammates, making Santos even more successful. In 1961 he scored 110 goals. Pele scored more than 400 goals before he turned 20 years old.

In the 1962 World Cup, held in Chile, Brazil was a favorite to win, but Pele pulled a leg muscle in the second game and sat out all the games until his country reached the championships. Doctors refused him permission to play, but Brazil was so strong it won the cup without him. In 1962, Pele won the Brazil scoring championship for the fifth straight year.

The Black Pearl

Pele wore uniform number 10 and played left inside forward. With his agility, speed and incredible ball-handling skills, he revolutionized soccer, instigating a creative, all-out attack that became the Brazilian style and was much more exciting for casual fans than the traditional defense-oriented game. During Pele's career, he scored five goals or more in a game on six occasions, scored four goals in 30 games, and had 92 games with three goals. Three times he scored more than 100 goals in a season.

Pele acquired several nicknames during his career: "Gasoline" for his energy, "The Executioner" for his brilliant ability to finish an offensive drive and put the ball in the net, and, most popularly, "The Black Pearl," because he was precious. On the field, his joy at playing the game he loved was obvious and infectious. Pele would salute the crowd after scoring a goal and, on many occasions, the goalkeeper he had just beaten would wave or bow to him. If a keeper stopped his shot, Pele would often shake hands with him. When he scored, thousands of fans would stand and chant his name.

Pele had countless tricks to get around defenders. He developed incredible shots, including a swerving shot from 40 yards out that would curve away from the goalie at the last second, and a drop shot that would appear to be going over the crossbar and then dip into the net. Often, defenders would be all over Pele, and he would be fouled and harassed. After years of tolerating this treatment, he began to retailiate and draw yellow cards hinmself. After an Argentinian player repeatedly kicked him and spat at him, Pele kicked back.

The first soccer player to become a millionaire, Pele was overwhelmed with offers to make personal appearances and sign business deals, but he refused to endorse cigarettes or liquor. "I know that I have influence on youngsters and I don't feel that I want them to think if I should endorse these products I want them to use them," he said, according to Marcus's book.

The King of Soccer

In 1964, Pele scored only 60 goals, because most teams were playing six men back on defense against his team. At the end of the season, however, he scored eight goals in a game. In 1965, he bounced back and scored 101 goals. In 1966, Brazil played Bulgaria in the opening game of the World Cup, and Bulgaria fouled Pele brutally and repeatedly. He had to sit out a game to recover, and he returned to action as Brazil faced Portugal needing to win to stay alive in the tournament. With Portugal leading 2-0, a player tripped Pele and then stepped on his knee. No foul was called though Pele was severely injured, and Brazil lost the World Cup. He vowed never to play in another World Cup.

Later that year, Santos made the first of many tours of the United States and played several exhibition games in New York, drawing record crowds at a time when soccer was not popular in the United States. When the National Professional Soccer League was formed in 1967, its president Bob Hermann spoke of wanting to buy Pele, but the Brazilian star said he would never play for any team except Santos or the Brazilian national squad.

Chronology

1956 Begins pro career with Santos Football Club 1957 Picked to play on Brazil's National Team 1958 Electrifies soccer world with first World Cup appearance 1961 Declared a national treasure by Brazil's president 1962 Leads Brazil to second World Cup victory 1970 Leads Brazil to victory in his final World Cup 1974 Retires from play with Santos 1975 Comes out of retirement to play for New York Cosmos 1977 Retires from Cosmos 1994 Named Brazil's Minister of Sports

In 1969, Pele bowed to pressure and agreed to play in the World Cup in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1970. Brazil won every game, beating Italy in the finals, and Pele became the first person ever to play on three World Cup champions.

With his global notoriety and interest in humanitarian causes, Pele became a freelance goodwill ambassador. In 1967, both sides in Nigeria's civil war declared a cease-fire so they could together watch him play an exhibition game in Lagos. Pele toured throughout the world with his Santos club, adding to his all-time goal-scoring record and his reputation as the king of soccer. He also signed contracts to teach soccer to young children in 115 countries and made soccer training films for Pepsi, as well as doing endorsements for coffee and sporting-goods products. Pele was a multimillionaire and a hugely successful businessman, with interests in construction, rubber and coffee products. He was also a noted philanthropist who gave money especially to support children's causes.

Heeding his father's advice, Pele decided to retire while he was still a top player. In 1971, he retired from the national team, playing his 111th and last game for Brazil on July 18, even though the Brazilian government kept trying to persaude him to play in the 1974 World Cup. Pele later said he quit playing partly to protest human rights abuses by Brazil's military government. His 97 goals in international matches were an all-time record.

Signing a final two-year contract with Santos, Pele donated his final year's salary to children's charities. He retired at age 34, taking the ball and kneeling at midfield during his final game. Pele had scored 1,280 goals in 1,362 matches, second only to Brazil's Arthur Freidenreich.

Several European teams tried to talk him into playing for them. Instead, Pele, who was facing some financial problems, eventually agreed to play for the North American Soccer League (NASL), signing a contract with the New York Cosmos for at least $4.5 million for three years, plus incentives. In the off season, Pele learned English and studied business management, invested in

real estate, and gave soccer clinics. He also received many offers to coach in Europe and Brazil, "but there's no way I can stand on the side of the field," he admitted to Time magazine.

Pele's entrance into the struggling NASL boosted Americans' interest in soccer. Within two years, players registered in the U.S. Soccer Federation increased from slightly over 100,000 to nearly 400,000. NASL attendance soared, and by 1977 a Cosmos playoff match drew 77,000 fans. Pele retired again after that season, playing a final exhibition game before 75,000 fans broadcast to 38 nations. In a speech before the game, Pele pleaded for the world's children and made everyone shout in the stadium after him: "Love! Love! Love!" The game pitted Cosmos against Santos, with Pele playing for the Cosmos and scoring a goal in the first half, and then playing the second half for Santos.

After the 1977 season, Pele wrote in the New York Times : "It seems that God brought me to Earth with a mission to unite people, never to separate them." When a movie was made about his life in 1977, titled Pele, he composed the sound track.

Awards and Accomplishments

1956, 1958, 1960-62, 1964-65, 1967-69, 1973 Plays on Sao Paulo state champion team 1957-65, 1969, 1973 Top goal scorer in Sao Paulo league 1958, 1962, 1970 Plays on FIFA World Cup champion team 1959 Top goal scorer in Copa America 1961 Plays in Copa Liberatadores 1962-63 On World Club champion team 1962-65, 1968 On Brazilian Cup winner 1966 Plays in FIFA World Cup 1977 North American Soccer League champion team, Cosmos 1978 International Peace Award 1993 National Soccer Hall of Fame 1999 Athlete of the Century, National Olympic Committee 1999 World Sports Awards 2000 Second place, Sportsman of the Century award

After leaving Brazil, Pele wasn't always popular in his native country. In 1988, Brazil, Morocco and the United States were named as the finalists for the 1994 World Cup, and he endorsed the United States, inspiring wrath in Brazil but helping to earn the games for the U.S. In 1994, Pele became sports minister of Brazil, and he spoke out against corrupt practices in the country's football confederation.

Few athletes in any sport commanded global notoriety like Pele. In the 20th century, Pele's only athletic rival for worldwide fame was boxer Muhammad Ali . He was the most exciting and productive soccer player in history, and he brought the game vastly increased attention, especially in countries such as the United States that were not already soccer-crazy. Pele also epitomized joy in sport, because he showed emotion openly on the field and was never aloof or distant. He was loved, admired, and respected worldwide, and his genuine honesty and humility made him an appealing role model.

Where Is He Now?

Pele remains active in business, charities and promotional activities, and continues to play a major role in his own coffee company, Pele Coffee. He is frequently a commentator on televised soccer games, and in 2001 signed a deal to be an analyst with the Pan American Sports Network.

Pele earns an estimated $30 million a year from endorsements and his businesses. He flies around the world representing many international companies, including Time Warner, MasterCard, Procter & Gamble, Pizza Hut, Pepsi, and his own Pele Sports & Marketing. Products endorsed by Pele range from soccer balls, clothing, and equipment to a Pele soccer video game. He became a spokesman for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company's anti-impotency drug, Viagra, in 2002.

Pele also continues to work for UNICEF and other children's organizations and is a noted philanthropist in his native Brazil, the United States, and around the world, often visiting impoverished countries.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY PELE:

(With Robert L. Fish) My Life and the Beautiful Game. Doubleday, 1977.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Harris, Harry and Joseph S. Blatter. Pele: His Life and Times. Welcome Rain, 2002.

Marcus, Joe. The World of Pele. Mason/Charter, 1976.

Periodicals

"Ali, Pele And Carl Lewis Honored At World Sports Awards Of The Century Gala." Jet, 97 (December 13, 1999): 48.

"Facing Football's Bald Facts: Brazil." The Economist (US), 345 (December 20, 1997): 33.

Hersch, Hank. "Pele (Forty for the Ages)." Sports Illustrated, 81 (September 19, 1994): 122.

"International: 141 Aids Pfizer in Viagra Awareness." PR Week (UK), (April 5, 2002): 6.

Kissinger, Henry A. "The Phenomenon: Pele." Time, 153 (June 14, 1999): 110.

"On a New Kick." Time, 158 (October 8, 2001).

"Panamerican Pele." Multichannel News International. 7 (April 2001): 12.

Swift, E.M. "A dream come true." Sports Illustrated, 80 (June 20, 1994): 86.

Thomsen, Ian. "A Great Revolution Was Afoot." Sports Illustrated, 91 (November 29, 1999): R36.

Other

"Edson Arantes 'Pele' Nascimento." Latino Sports Legends http://www.latinosportslegends.com/Pele_bio.htm (January 3, 2003).

"Pele." International Football Hall of Fame. http://www.ifhof.com/hof/pele.asp (January 3, 2003).

"Pele - O Rei, The King, El Rey." 360 Soccer. http://www.360soccer.com/pele/(January 3, 2003).

"Pele to Advertise Viagra." On-line Pravda http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2002/02/01/26160.html (January 3, 2003).

"Play Soccer with Pele." 360 Soccer. http://www.360soccer.com/pele/peleplay.html (January 3, 2003).

Sketch by Michael Betzold