Pelé
(Brazil)
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or
better known as Pelè was born October 23rd 1940. He
went on to become perhaps the best player of all time.
He made his senior debut for Santos in 1956, a month
before his 16th birthday and ten months later he
played for Brazil against Argentina. Pelè missed the
first two matches of the 1958 World Cup, before making
his debut against Russia. His first World Cup goal
came in the 1-0 quarter -final win over Wales and he
scored a hat-trick in the semifinal against France and
two more in the final over host nation Sweden. At 17,
Pelé became the youngest ever winner of the World
Cup.
Brazil defended the title four
years later in Chile, but Pelé was injured early on
and missed most of the tournament. Injuries also
plagued him in 1966 as Brazil were eliminated already
in the first round, but in 1970 he was back on top of
his game leading Brazil to a record third title. Pelé
was excellent and partnered by Rivelino, Jairzinho and
Tostao, Brazil formed perhaps the best team ever.
Scoring goals was Pelè's trademark, but he was also a
clever, quick-thinking player who could create goals
for others. He scored a remarkable 77 goals for Brazil
in 92 appearances, and various sources suggest that he
netted 1281 in 1363 senior games overall. He played
his final game for Santos in 1974, but was persuaded
out of retirement the following year when he joined
NASL club, New York Cosmos in a $4.000.000 deal. He
played his last game for Cosmos in 1977 in front of
75.646 fans.
Pele has achieved more than any other player in the
World Cup history. Surprisingly he hasn't been
topscorer in either of the four World Cups he played
in, but he is on third place of the all-time
topscorers table with his 12 goals. His proudest
record must be the fact that he is the only player who
has won three World Cups.
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