Pelé Age, Biography, wikis, Wife, Children, Family, Photo, lifestyle, & More

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known mononymously by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled “the greatest” by FIFA, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century.

pele
pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele is one of the most successful soccer players to ever exist. Even the Fédération Internationale de Football Association FIFA which is international federation for football association has labeled him as “The Greatest“. His legacy and his achievements in the 20th century stand unmatchable. He has shown many people the way into the game and inspired football enthusiasts worldwide. The level of fan following he presently has is exceptional, as he is one of the significant names in the world of sports.

Pelé Biography:

Bio/Wiki
Real Name Edson Arantes do Nascimento
Nickname(s) Dico, Pele, The Black Pearl
Profession Professional Footballer (Retired), Humanitarian
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.) in centimeters– 173 cm
in meters– 1.73 m
in feet inches– 5’ 8”
Weight (approx.) in kilograms– 75 kg
in pounds– 165 lbs
Eye Color Black
Hair Color Black
Football
Debut International– On July 7, 1957 for Brazil against Argentina
Club– On September 7, 1956 for Santos against Corinthians Santo Andre
Jersey Number #10 (Brazil)
#10 (Santos)
Coach/Mentor Vicente Feola (Brazil), João Ramos
Retirement 1977
Position Forward
Records • Brazil national football team All-Time Leading Scorer, 77 goals (95 goals including unofficial friendlies)
• Intercontinental Cup: All-Time Leading Scorer: 7 goals
• World record number of hat-trick: 92
• Most career goals: 1283 goals in 1363 games (Guinness World Records)
• Most FIFA World Cup Winners’ Medals: 3 (Guinness World Records)
• Youngest winner of a FIFA World Cup: 17 years and 249 days (Guinness World Records)
Awards, Honors, Achievements International

• FIFA World Cup : 1958, 1962, 1970
• Roca Cup : 1957, 1963

Club

Santos

• Campeonato Paulista : 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A : 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
• Intercontinental Cup : 1962, 1963
• Intercontinental Supercup: 1968

New York Cosmos

• North American Soccer League, Soccer Bowl: 1977

Individual

• Copa Libertadores Top Scorer: 1965
• Campeonato Paulista Top Scorer : 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973
• FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1958
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (Best Player): 1970
• Copa América Top Scorer: 1959
• FIFA Player of the Century: 2000
• FIFA Order of Merit: 1984
• FIFA Centennial Award: 2004
• FIFA 100 Greatest Living Footballers: 2004
• Athlete of the Century, elected by International Olympic Committee: 1999
• South American Footballer of the Year: 1973
• FWA Tribute Award: 2018
• World Team of the 20th Century: 1998

Personal Life
Date of Birth October 23, 1940
Age (at the time of death) 82 Years
Birthplace Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Date of Death 29 December 2022
Place of Death Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil
Death Cause Cancer
Zodiac sign/Sun sign Libra
Signature
Nationality Brazilian
Hometown Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil
School Not Known
College/University Did Not Attend
Educational Qualification Not Known
Religion Christianity
Ethnicity Afro-Brazilian
Food Habit Non-Vegetarian
Hobbies Fishing, Writing Songs, Cooking, Playing the Guitar
Controversy Pele got a lot hatred from the Brazilians when before FIFA World Cup 2014, he said that corruption had nothing to do with World Cup and people should stop protesting for a better country. He even went on to say that Brazilians were ruining the World Cup.
Girls, Affairs & More
Marital Status Married
Affairs/Girlfriends Rosemeri Dos Reis Cholbi (1958-1966)
Anizia Machado (1963-1964)

Flavia Cavalcanti Rebelo (Model)

Lenita Kurtz (1968) Journalist

Xuxa (1981-1986) TV Presenter

Family
Wife/Spouse Rosemeri Dos Reis Cholbi (1966–1982)
Assíria Lemos Seixas (1994–2008) Psychologist
Marcia Aoki (2016-Present) Businesswoman
Children Sons– Edinho (Professional Footballer)
Joshua
Daughters– Sandra Machado
Kelly Cristina
Flávia Kurtz
Celeste
Parents Father– João Ramos (Professional Footballer)
Mother– Dona Celeste (Actress)
Siblings Brother– Zeca Nascimento (Professional Footballer)
Sister– Maria Lúcia Nascimento
Favorite Things
Favorite Sportsperson Muhammad Ali
Favorite Place Santos, Brazil
Favorite Food Rice and beans
Style Quotient
Cars Collection Mercedes 1970, Mercedes-Benz W111, Red 1957 Porsche 356, Volkswagen
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.) $100 Million (₹680 Crore)

 Pele Early life:

  • Pele was named after the inventor and world-famous scientist Thomas Edison, though his parents removed the i. 
  • The name which is chanted by many was acquired by him when he was. a child was teased by this nickname because he mispronounced the name of a goalkeeper ‘Bile’ once. He used to dislike this name very much.
  • Pele saw days of poverty while growing up in São Paulo. 
  • His father who used to play football taught Pele everything he knows now. They couldn’t afford a football so they used to play with a paper-stuffed sock.  
  •  Pele also worked as a waiter in local tea shops.
  • Pele played in indoor leagues in his youth, and eventually at the age of 15 was signed by Santos FC.
  •  By the age of 16, the legendary footballer was the top scorer in the Brazilian league. 
  • Pele received a call from the Brazilian national side.
  • The Brazilian President declared Pele a national treasure so that foreign clubs such as Manchester United wouldn’t sign him.

Pele Career:

  • Later in his football career, Pele went on to score over 1,000 goals in professional games. 
  • On 19 November 1969 at Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium Pele scored his remarkable 1000th.
  • Pele’s strike rate in international games was one of the highest ever.
  • In 1977 Pele completed his career and retired after he led the New York Cosmos in the direction of the US title.  

Pele Personal life:

  • The Brazilian football player, Pele got married thrice and is a father to several children. 
  • Pele, in the 1970s, was investigated by the authoritarian Brazilian government as there was a suspicion that he was in sympathy with left-wing political prisoners. 
  • Post retiring Pele went on to be a great ambassador for football and sport in general. 
  • Pelé was appointed a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment in 1992.
  • Pele has also been appointed a UNESCO goodwill ambassador. 

The footballer was not only one of the most gifted athletes of his generation but also a mild-mannered man who used his fame and prestige for a positive effect.

Some Lesser Known Facts About Pele:

  • Did Pele smoke?: No
  • Did Pele drink alcohol?: No
  • He was born to Dondinho and Dona Celeste Arantes. His father was a soccer player himself.
  • He was named after American inventor Thomas Edison.
  • They were very poor and he had to work as a servant in a tea stall in his childhood
  • He was nicknamed as “Dico”, but his friends started calling him Pele after his favourite footballer Vasco da Gama’s goalkeeper ‘Bile’, whom he mispronounced as ‘Pele’.
  • He learned the first kicks of soccer from his father and played for many amateur teams in his youth. With no money to buy a football, he used to stuff newspapers inside socks and play with that.
  • He joined Bauru Athletic Club juniors and led his team to three consecutive titles from 1954 to 1956.
  • He said in an interview that the indoor tournaments he used to play in his childhood helped him to take his game to another level. The indoor tournaments taught him to make quick decisions; as the pitches were small and the players were more.
  • Football star de Brito was impressed by his talents and took him to Santos in 1956, where he started his professional football career. He became a regular starter for the side in 1957.
  • He became the top scorer in the league in 1957. His consistent performances earned him a place in Brazil’s squad, and he played his first game for Brazil in July 1957 against Argentina.
  • In 1958, he scored 58 goals for Santos in Campeonato Paulista (a top-flight league in Brazil), a feat unmatched to date.
  • He scored 6 goals in 4 matches in the 1958 World Cup and eventually won the World Cup.
  • In the 1962 World Cup, his campaign was halted by an injury and he remained out of most of the tournament.
  • In 1964, he was involved in an affair with a housemaid, Anizia Machado who gave birth to Sandra Machado. Sandra fought for years to be acknowledged by Pele as his daughter, but he refused to submit his DNA. Although the court recognized her as his biological daughter based on the DNA evidence in 1993. Though Pele never acknowledged her as his daughter, even after her death in 2006.
  • On February 21, 1966, Pelé married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and had two daughters and a son with her.
  • The 1966 World Cup was a big failure; as he got injured and Brazil got knocked out in the first round.
  • In 1968, he had another extramarital affair with journalist Lenita Kurtz and had a daughter, Flávia, with her.
  • He scored his 1000th goal against Vasco da Gama from a penalty kick at the Maracana Stadium in 1969.
  • The 1970 World Cup was his last World Cup. Brazil won the World Cup, and he was named the ‘Player of the Tournament’.
  • He played his last international match against Yugoslavia on July 18, 1971, in Rio de Janeiro.
  • His 19th season in 1974 was his last season for the club Santos before retiring.
  • In 1976, he emerged from the semi-retirement by joining New York Cosmos.
  • In his last game on October 1, 1977 (an exhibition match between Cosmos and Santos), he played the first half for Cosmos and the second half for Santos. He scored from a direct free kick in the first half which turned out to be his last goal.
  • In 1982, Pele and his wife, Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi, divorced. Pele was then involved in a romantic relationship with a TV presenter Xuxa. She was just 17 at that time.
  • In 1992, he was appointed as a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment.
  • In April 1994, he married psychologist and gospel singer Assíria Lemos Seixas and had twins with her. The couple divorced in 2008.
  • In 1995, he was appointed as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
  • He was the Minister of Sport of Brazil from 1995 to 1998.
  • In 1997, he received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.
  • He was voted “Athlete of the Century” by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999.
  • In July 2016, he married Marcia Aoki, a Japanese-Brazilian importer of medical equipment from Penápolis, São Paulo.
  • He scored 1281 goals in 1363 games, the most by any player ever to play this game. He scored 92 hat-tricks, and scored four goals on 31 occasions, five on six occasions, and once scored eight in one match.