Soccer Pele
Pele, a former Brazilian footballer, is thought by many to be the greatest footballer in history. Pele is his nickname; he was born in Brazil with the given name of Edison (Edson) Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940. While his birth certificate reads that his first name is Edison, his preference is Edson, but Pele is the name that this sports legend is known by.
When people think of soccer, they think of Pele. He seemed to be born to play soccer. He possessed amazing skills and seemed to make the ball do exactly what he wanted. He had astonishing speed as well as ball control. He was agile, lithe, and strong. He is well known for his unique dribbling and passing techniques. The crowd absolutely loved to watch him play; he always seemed to pull of some amazing feat every time he was in possession of the ball. His skill allowed him to score 1,283 first-class goals, 12 of which were made during World Cup tournaments, in 1958, 1968 and 1970. Pele was the only football player in the games history to claim three World Cup trophies.
Peles skill was noticed by football star Waldemar de Brito. He began coaching Pel in 1954 when Pele was just 14 years old. He made his professional debut in 1956 for Santos Futebol Clube. By 1957, he claimed a starting position on the 1st team. He claimed his first World Cup trophy at the age of 17. It was in 1962 that he began receiving offers from European organizations and he began to entertain the idea of a move to Europe. Due to economic conditions and the benefits Pel brought to the Santos Football Club as well as Brazilian football regulations, the Brazilian government blocked any move by Pele to Europe, declaring him a national treasure.
Pele played for the team until 1972, at which point he entered semi-retirement, playing only in especially tough games. In 1975, he came out of retirement to play for the New York Cosmos, a part of the North American League. Some said Pele was past his prime, but there is no doubt that he generated a lot of interest in the game amongst Americans and had the last laugh when he led the Cosmos to a NASL championship in 1977 during his last season.
Pele is still considered to be a national hero in his native Brazil, where his contributions to football are universally acknowledged - something also noticed by FIFA, who have named Pele the official football ambassador to the world. Pele advocates for the underprivileged as well as for the sport which made him a star. It is not for nothing that Pele is known to this day as "The King of Football" and he is a American National Soccer Hall of Fame member.