Edson Arantes do Nascimento, aka “Pele,” was the greatest soccer player of all time!  He passed away on Dec. 29, 2022, at the age of 82 years old.  Pele was born on October 23, 1940, in Brazil. Pele began playing professional soccer at the age of fifteen years old. He played the position of forward and is the only soccer player in the world to win three FIFA world cups (1958, 1962, and 1970).  Pele scored seventy-seven goals in ninety-two games. Pele influenced many soccer players and influenced a lot of people because he won three world cups. In 2000 Pele was voted World Player of the century by the International Federation of soccer history and statistics.

Pele scored 1,091 of his 1,283 career goals in his 18 years with Santos his club team. Pele won his first world cup at the age of 17 and scored 6 goals! Compare that to  Lionel Messi who just won his first world cup for Argentina at the age of 35. Pele retired from soccer at the age of thirty-six.

Over Pele’s lifetime, he was a legend and he won many awards. He inspired people all over the world. He changed the world by being a great soccer player and people look up to him and idolize him.