Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more commonly known as just Pelé, (23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022) was a Brazilian football player. Pelé was the most successful league goal scorer in the world, with 678 league goals. In total, Pelé scored 789 goals in 1363 games, including unofficial friendlies and tour games. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport he was listed in the Guinness World Records for most career goals scored in the history of football.

Pelé
Pelé in 1965
Born	Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-10-23)23 October 1940 Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died	29 December 2022(2022-12-29) (aged 82) São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Cause of death	Multiple organ failure caused by colon cancer
Resting place	Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, Santos, São Paulo
Occupations	Footballer humanitarian
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Spouses	Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1982)​ Assíria Lemos Seixas ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 2008)​ Marcia Aoki ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	7, including Edinho
Parent	Dondinho (father)
Association football career Position(s) Forward, attacking midfielder Youth career 1953–1956 Bauru Senior career* Years Team Apps (Gls) 1956–1974 Santos 636 (618) 1975–1977 New York Cosmos 64 (37) Total 700 (655) National team 1957–1971 Brazil 92 (77) Honours Men's football Representing Brazil FIFA World Cup Winner 1958 Sweden Winner 1962 Chile Winner 1970 Mexico South American Championship Runner-up 1959 Argentina * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
Minister of Sports
In office 1 January 1995 – 30 April 1998
President	Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Rafael Greca (as Minister of Sports and Tourism)
Signature

He was given the title "Football Player of the Century" by FIFA. Many believe that he was the best player in the history of football.

Teams

From 1956 to 1974, Pelé played for Santos, had 605 appearances, and scored 1281 goals. From 1975 to 1977, he played for New York Cosmos, when he had 64 appearances, and scored 37 goals. From 1978 to 1980 he played for XI Classic till he retired.

Club career statistics

Club statistics			League
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals
Brazil			League
1971	Santos	Série A	21	1
1972			16	5
1973			30	19
1974			17	9
United States			League
1975	New York Cosmos	NASL	9	5
1976			22	13
1977			25	13
Country	Brazil		84	34
	United States		56	31
Total			140	65

International career statistics

Pelé cries on the shoulder of Gilmar dos Santos Neves, after Brazil won the 1958 Cup.

Pelé (crouched, second from right to left) and Brazil national team at 1959 Copa America

Brazil national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1957	2	2
1958	7	9
1959	9	11
1960	6	4
1961	0	0
1962	8	8
1963	7	7
1964	3	2
1965	8	9
1966	9	5
1967	0	0
1968	7	4
1969	9	7
1970	15	8
1971	2	1
Total	92	77

Health and death

In September 2021, Pelé had surgery to remove a tumour on the right side of his colon. He began chemotherapy treatment a few weeks later.

Pelé died on 29 December 2022, at 3:27 pm, at the age of 82, due to multiple organ failure, a complication of colon cancer at a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil.

Honours

Pelé at the White House on 10 September 1986, with U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Brazil President José Sarney.

Pelé with U.S. President Bill Clinton in Rio de Janeiro, 15 October 1997.

Club

• Santos (Official Tournaments)
  • Campeonato Paulista: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1973
  • Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1959, 1963 and 1964
  • Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (Taça de Prata): 1968
  • Taça Brasil: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965
  • Copa Libertadores: 1962 and 1963
  • Intercontinental Cup: 1962 and 1963
  • South-American Recopa: 1968
  • Recopa Intercontinental: 1968
• New York Cosmos
  • NASL Champions: 1977

International

• Brazil
  • Roca Cup:
    • Winner (2): 1957, 1963
  • FIFA World Cup:
    • Winner (3): 1958, 1962, 1970
    • Appearances (4): 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970