Former Brazilian professional footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his stage as Pelé, was a forward who played in the league from 1940 to 1986.
He was among the most prosperous and well-known athletes of the 20th century, and he is regarded as one of the all-time great players and FIFA’s “the greatest.”
He was named the International Olympic Committee’s Athlete of the Century in 1999, and Time named him one of the 100 most influential individuals of the 20th century.
Pelé was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award in 2000 and was chosen by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) as the World Player of the Century.
What year did Pelé retire?
In 1975, Pelé signed a three-year, $7 million contract with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in order to promote the game in the United States after having announced his retirement in 1974.
After helping the Cosmos win the league championship in 1977, he decided to retire.
What was Pelé’s last professional game?
On October 1st, 1977, after leading the Cosmos to a championship, Pelé announced his retirement, which was commemorated by an exhibition match between Santos and the Cosmos.
The 18th of July, 1971, saw Pelé play in his final international game in Rio de Janeiro against Yugoslavia.
