Pelé
Pelé
Pelé (1940–2022), born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was a Brazilian footballer known around the world as "O Rei," the King, and the only player to win three FIFA World Cups. Raised in modest circumstances in Bauru, in São Paulo state, he learned the game from his father, a former player, and joined Santos at fifteen. His turning point came at seventeen at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, where he scored twice in the final as Brazil won its first world title. He won again in 1962 and 1970, led Santos to two Copa Libertadores titles, and scored more than a thousand goals in his career. Joining the New York Cosmos in 1975, he helped bring soccer to American audiences. He later served as Brazil's minister of sport and as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador, and in 2000 FIFA named him a joint Player of the Century.
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Sport's Greatest of All Time
Each is widely ranked among the greatest athletes of all time. Pelé won three World Cups with Brazil and was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999, the year Muhammad Ali was named Sportsman of the Century. Diego Maradona led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup and shared FIFA's Player of the Century award with Pelé. Michael Jordan topped ESPN's list of the century's greatest North American athletes, and Lionel Messi won the 2022 World Cup and eight Ballon d'Or awards.
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