Born Edison Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé is one of Brazil’s and the world’s most famous, talented, and beloved soccer players. In Brazil he is known as “O Rei,” the King, and is the all-time top scorer on Brazil’s national team. He is considered by some to be the greatest soccer player of all time, and was also chosen as a FIFA Player of the Century.

Born in Minas Gerais in 1940, Pelé began playing professional soccer at the ripe age of 15, and won his first World Cup at age 17. He spent the majority of his career playing for Santos in São Paulo, and also did a stint for the New York Cosmos soccer team in the U.S. in the late 1970s. He also played for the Brazilian national team in four World Cups. According to some reports, he scored 1280 in 1363 games during his career.

After he retired from soccer, he became a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador and the Brazilian Minister of Sport. He has several best-selling autobiographies, starred in several documentaries, and even composed the music to a feature-length film about his life. He is also known for his former relationship with famed Brazilian singer/actress, Xuxa.

Pelé once said, “I’ve come to accept that the life of a frontrunner is a hard one, that
he will suffer more injuries than most men and that many of these
injuries will not be accidental.”

Above, Pelé accepts an award from David Beckham last night at a fundraiser in New York.