Simply he was, and for many people still is, the greatest football player of the world. Not a single thing was impossible for him: he won three World Cup with his National Team of Brazil (Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, Mexico 1970). He scored more than 1.200 goals during his long career (more than 1.300 official matches). He also won many national Leagues and Continental Cup ("Copa Libertadores"), with his team, the Santos FC of Sao Paulo do Brazil (Saint Paul). In the Sixties he was nick-named "O' Rey" (The King) and in the Seventies 95 peoples out of 100 knew his name. ("Wow, man, you're popular!" said Robert Redford, some years ago, after seeing Pelé give dozens of autographs in New York while he was not asked for one). In the late 1960's, when he and his team, Santos, went to Nigeria to play a few friendly matches, the ongoing civil war stopped for the duration of his visit. He finished his career in the New York Cosmos, in 1977. Now he is a United Nation's Ambassador and has been also Minister for Sports in his country, but, for the people who saw him make wizardries with his right foot, he is, now and forever, the biggest footballer in the world, and the one and only "King".
Pele is by most people recognized as the world's greatest footballer ever and was named "Footballer of the Century" in 2000. He combined skill with great flair and understanding of the game, and he was invaluable to Brazil's national team. Known as "Perola Negra" (The black pearl). Played in 92 matches for Brazil and scored a remarkable 77 goals. He is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970). Played for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League from 1975-77. In his entire career, he officially scored 1,284 goals in 1,363 matched. He played one game as a goalkeeper. Had a video game named after him back in the 1980s called "Pele's Soccer". MMA legend Jose Landi-Jons was nicknamed "Pelé" after him. Landi-Jons never missed a Pelé soccer game and remembers every field action of his hero. Was named after Thomas A. Edison and originally named "Dico" by his family. During his professional career, he won two Intercontinental Cups and two Liberatadores Cups (both in 1962 and 1963) with Santos FC, his club from 1956 to 1974. His jersey number, 10, has since been worn by many of soccer's top stars such as Diego Armando Maradona, 'Zinedine Zidane' or Ronaldinho Gaucho.