The “Black Pearl” or Pelé was one of the greatest soccer players in history. With 1,280 games played throughout the course of his career, he may have been the most well-known athlete in the world at the time.
Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, best known by his stage name Pelé, was born on October 23, 1940, in Tres Coracoes, Brazil, the son of a minor league soccer player. Pelé grew up in a very poor neighbourhood where one of the few ways a boy could pass the time was to play soccer barefoot with a homemade ball. Many Brazilian soccer players go by pseudonyms that don’t seem to mean anything.
Edson does not recall how or why he chose the name “Pelé,” but the young Edson acquired the nickname “Dondinho” which had been given to his father. Pelé joined the soccer team of the Brazilian hamlet of Bauru when he was eleven years old. His father served as his coach, and the commitment paid off right away. He proceeded in the competition thanks to his exceptional skill, and he swiftly rose to become one of the team’s top players.
Did Pelé invent the bicycle kick?
The South American adaptations of the acquired football style by the British immigrants gave rise to contemporary maneuvers like the bicycle kick. Brazilian footballers Leônidas and Pelé are credited with popularizing the move in the 20th century.
