The legendary Brazilian footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his stage name Pele passed away recently.
The legendary player, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 82, was regarded as the best ever.
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Pele was regarded as the greatest football player of all time and the undisputed king of the beautiful game.
Following are 13 facts about Pele:
1. Pele, who was named Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in October 1940, made his professional debut for Santos in 1956 at the age of 15.
2. Pele helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He was the epitome of his nation’s heyday of football thanks to his opulent range of abilities.
3. Pele had amassed more than 1,000 goals when he finally decided to retire in 1977.
4. Only Neymar at the most recent World Cup was able to match Pele’s 77 goals for Brazil.
5. Pele’s influence on his sport extended far beyond the playing field because he also became a financial success, putting his name on a variety of goods, including watches, credit cards, and sports apparel.
6. Pele was selected for the national team in 1957 and scored in his first game, a victory over Argentina. He was chosen for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
7. Pele, who was still only 17 years old, had won the World Cup at the youngest age ever. However, the following two tournaments turned out to be disappointing.
Also Read:Â Pele: World football legend dies aged 82
8. Pele was 21 years old when the 1962 World Cup in Chile took place, was anticipated to dominate the competition due to his increased strength and age.
9. Despite continuing to play club football for his beloved Santos and later the New York Cosmos, Pele retired from international duty in 1971, bidding the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a tearful farewell in front of 180,000 spectators, an emotional farewell.
10. In 1977, during his final season with the team that also included fellow legends Franz Beckenbauer, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia, and former Brazil captain Carlos Alberto, he led New York to the national championship.
11. He costarred with actors like Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, and Moore in the 1981 movie Escape to Victory, which was about Allied POWs during World War II.
12. He even served as Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister for Sport between 1995 and 1998. He also frequently made public appearances as an ambassador for a number of commercial brands.
13. Marcia Aoki and Pele became legally married for the third time in 2016.
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