Brazil’s relationship with World Cup glory conjures up memories of incredible moments and legendary star players across five tournament wins.
The Samba Boys have set the standard for World Cup excellence, however, few names hold the same iconic status for the national team as Pele.
Pele burst onto the World Cup stage in 1958, setting a string of records including the youngest player and scorer in the tournament, as the 17-year-old netted twice in their 5-2 final win over Sweden.
His Brazil career featured a starring role in their best sides, with three World Cup titles, across a 14-year international career.
MORE: Who has won the most World Cups? List of winners in men’s FIFA tournament history
Is Pele the greatest player of all time?
For Brazil fans, Pele’s position as the greatest footballer of all time is undisputed.
Alongside incredible success with Brazil and Santos, Pele was given FIFA’s Player of the Century Award in 2000, alongside seven retrospective Ballon d’Or wins, for which he did not qualify in the original format of the award.
His goalscoring record, according to FIFA data, stands at 757 across all competitions, despite the man himself claiming to have netted 1,283 goals.
I have scored 1283 goals in my life,
— Pelé (@Pele) September 25, 2015
The debate over his status as the all-time No.1 is almost unresolvable, with Lionel Messi the only player to match him in Ballon d’Or awards, and the Argentine and Cristiano Ronaldo also leading him in the all-time goal race.
How many goals did Pele score?
FIFA have capped Pele’s goal tally at 757, and despite his firm disagreement with the final figure, the world’s governing body have maintained their stance.
CONMEBOL previously registered Pele with 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, but these included youth, friendly and non-official matches.
According to the RSSSF (Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation), the totals and ranks are also different, as the Guinness Book of World Records has Pele on 1,279 goals, as exhibition goals are prohibited in their count.
Where did Pele score his goals?
Santos 1956 – 1974
- Campeonato Paulista – 468 Goals
- Torneio Rio–São Paulo – 49 Goals
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A – 101 Goals
- Copa Libertadores – 17 Goals
- Intercontinental Cup – 8 Goals
New York Cosmos 1975 – 1977
- League – 31 Goals
- Post Season – 6 Goals
Brazil 1957 – 1971
- International Games- 77 Goals
Pele’s illness
Pele underwent surgery to remove a colon tumor in September 2021, less than a month before his 81st birthday, with a subsequent period of chemotherapy confirmed by his family.
However, his health worsened at the start of 2022, and he was readmitted to hospital in Sao Paulo in November due to ‘cardiac issues’.
Following speculation over his recovery ahead of the 2022 World Cup, unconfirmed reports from Sao Paulo suggested the 82-year-old was being moved to palliative treatment, after he stopped responding to treatment.
Despite the concerning outlook on his poor health, Pele issued a statement from his hospital bed on December 3.
“My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive,” he said at the time on Instagram.
“I’m strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual. I want to thank the entire medical and nursing team for all the care I have received.
“I have a lot of faith in God and every message of love I receive from you all over the world keeps me full of energy. And watching Brazil in the World Cup too!
“Thank you so much for everything.”
Pele’s death was announced by his agent to the Associated Press on December 29, 2022.
Pele’s family, wife and children
Pele was born in Tres Coracoes in 1940, as the eldest of two siblings, with his father Dondinho playing for Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro at the time of his birth.
The family moved to Bauru, in Sao Paulo, during his early childhood, with his schooldays seeing his birth name of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, changed to the nickname of Pele.
Pele married the first of his three wives in 1966, and had three children Kelly Cristina (b. 1967), Edson (b. 1970) and Jennifer (b. 1978), before divorcing his wife Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi in 1982.
In 1994, he married Assíria Lemos Seixas, with the couple having twins in 1996 (Joshua and Celeste) before divorcing in 2008.
Pele married for the third time in 2016, to Marcia Aoki, but the couple had no children together.
Alongside his children born within marriage, Pele also fathered two other children in alleged affairs, Sandra Machado (b. 1964) and Flavia Kurtz 9b. 1968).
