- Bio Data
- Early Years
- Career
- Controversy
- Ambassadorial Work
- Real Estate
- Personal Affairs
- Death
- Net Worth
Pelé’s Bio Data
Date of Birth: | Oct 23, 1940 – Dec 29, 2022 (82 years old) |
Place of Birth: | Três Corações |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Profession: | Actor, Football player, Film Producer |
Nationality: | Brazil |
Early Years
Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in Três Coraces, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on October 23, 1940. His father, Dondinho, was also a professional football player. Pelé was born into a football family.
Edson, who was raised with two siblings, was named after the inventor Thomas Edison (minus the “i”).
Because he mistakenly mispronounced the name of Bilé, a goalie who played for Vasco de Gama during his youth, he eventually acquired the nickname Pelé. His buddies continued to tease him by calling him Pelé, and the nickname stuck. In actuality, the word “pelé” does not have any meaning in Portuguese or any other language.
In Bauru, Sao Paulo, Pelé grew up in impoverished surroundings. Although he spent the majority of his time laboring to support his family, Pelé began to play football at a young age.
His father taught him numerous techniques, but because his family could not buy a soccer ball, he used a grapefruit instead. As he grew older, Pelé began to play for other Brazilian youth teams and excelled at indoor football (futsal).
Career
15-year-old Pelé began his professional career with Santos FC after impressing the coach with his extraordinary skills. In 1956, after signing a contract, he made his professional debut and scored in his maiden game. At the age of 16, he was the leading scorer in the Brazilian league. He participated in the 1958 and 1962 World Cups as a member of the Brazilian national squad.
Although other prominent teams attempted to sign the young player, Pelé remained loyal to Santos and Brazil. His team continued to achieve extraordinary success, winning the Intercontinental Cup in 1962 and the Copa Libertadores in 1963.
In 1969, the two opposing sides of the Nigerian Civil War declared a 48-hour ceasefire so that they could watch Pelé play in a Lagos stadium.
Despite numerous offers, Pelé never played for a major club like Inter Milan or Real Madrid. He eventually signed with the New York Cosmos after the 1974 season.
Many other soccer giants, including Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto, followed in his footsteps and joined the Cosmos.
In essence, Pelé influenced superstars such as George Best, Johan Cruyff, and Bobby Moore to play in America.
He also succeeded in encouraging a substantial portion of Americans to start following soccer for the first time. In 1977, he drew more than 62,000 fans to one of his Cosmos’ games at Giant Stadium.
Pelé’s international career got off to a fantastic start when he won the 1958 World Cup with two goals against Sweden in the final.
He also contributed to Brazil’s 1962 World Cup victory, despite missing nearly the entire tournament due to injury. After a disastrous 1966 World Cup, Pelé won the event for the final time in 1970.
Controversy
The majority of Pelé’s troubles occurred after he retired from professional football. In 2001, the former player was accused of stealing $700,000 from UNICEF as part of a corruption investigation.
Due to his feud with the then-President of FIFA, Joao Havelange, he was prohibited from attending the FIFA World Cup draw in Las Vegas in 1994.
In 2016, Pelé filed a $30 million lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, alleging damages for false endorsements and the violation of his right to publicity.
The accusation emerged as a result of a 2015 Samsung advertisement that included a man like Pelé and another scenario depicting the player’s iconic bicycle kick.
Ambassadorial Work
Since retiring from sports, Pelé is well known for his ambassadorial duties. In 1992, he was named ambassador for ecology and the environment at the United Nations. He was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1994.
Real Estate
It was reported in 2018 that Pelé had sold his Hamptons mansion for $2.85 million. In 1979, he paid $156,000 for the home that he had purchased. Over the years, Pelé transformed his home into a beautiful, 3,500-square-foot mansion. Beach access is an additional benefit. At age 77, Pelé was no longer living in the residence, as he had long since retired in his native Brazil.
Personal Affairs
Pelé married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi in 1966, and the couple had three children. In 1982, he divorced his first wife and began dating a Brazilian television presenter named Xuxa, who was 17 at the time. In 1994, he married his second wife, Assiria Lemos Seixas, a psychologist. He had two additional children with Seixas prior to their 2008 divorce.
At the age of 73, Pelé revealed his intention to marry Japanese-Brazilian woman Marcia Aoki. After a lengthy courtship, they tied the knot in 2016. In addition, Pelé has fathered other children through affairs over the years.
Death
Sadly, Pelé passed away on December 29, 2022, at the age of 82, after suffering a variety of health difficulties.
Net Worth
At the time of his death, Pelé was a popular and respected Brazilian footballer who was worth $100 million. On December 29, 2022, Pelé passed away at the age of 82.
He is widely recognized as the greatest soccer player of all time, is one of the 20th century’s most legendary individuals.
During his prime, he was the world’s highest-paid athlete. During the decades of his retirement, he continued to earn tens of millions of dollars from endorsements with corporations like Puma.