RIP Pele: 10 interesting facts you didn't know about the football legend

Pele who was born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23rd October 1940 in Brazil, is widely regarded the greatest football player of all time. He was also named in the 20th Century list of 100 most influential people made by Time Magazine. Here are 10 interesting facts about the legendary footballer.

Pele who was born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23rd October 1940 in Brazil, is widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time. He was also named in the 20th Century list of 100 most influential people made by Time Magazine. Here are 10 i

Updated on:

30 Dec 2022, 7:27 am

2 min read

Pele was signed by Santos when he was 15. He scored four goals on his league debut in a match against FC Corinthians on September 7, 1956. (Photo | AP)

At 17, Pele became the youngest-ever winner of a World Cup. He also scored twice in the final against home side Sweden. (Photo | AP)

Pele scored a total of 1,283 first-class goals, including 77 for Brazil. (Photo | AP)

He was voted athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999. (Photo | AP)

On November 19, 1969, Pele scored his 1000th career goal. Hundreds raced onto the pitch to mob the Brazilian star and it took over 30 minutes for the game to resume. (Photo | AP)

At Santos, Brazil, November 19 is known as 'Pele Day' to celebrate the anniversary of his 1,000th goal. (Photo | AP)

In 1967, a 48-hour ceasefire was declared in Nigeria so that Federal and Rebel troops could watch Pele play, on a visit to the war-torn nation. (Photo | AP)

In Brazil, he is often called “Pérola Negra”, which means Black Pearl. (Photo | AP)

The Brazilian government declared Pelé an official national treasure in 1961 to prevent him from being transferred out of the country. (Photo Courtesy | Facebook@Pele)

He won three World Cups, two World Club Championships and nine Sao Paulo State Championships. Pele is the only player to win three World Cups. (Photo | AP)

Argentine soccer star Diego Armando Maradona rests in a hammock with Brazilian soccer star Pele, during a meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 13, 1995. (Photo | AP)

Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo receives the trophy from former Brazilian soccer star Pele after being named FIFA World Player of the Year during the FIFA World Player Gala 2008 at the Opera house in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, Jan.12, 2009. (Photo | AP)

Soccer star Pele poses with two other soccer greats: at left, Cosmos teammate and captain of the 1974 World Cup team from West Germany, Franz Beckenbauer, and Bobby Moore, captain of England's 1966 World Cup soccer team. The occasion was a dinner given for Pele, on September 27, 1977, in the Plaza Hotel in New York. (Photo | AP)

Pele and Cosmos team captain Werner Roth, centre, present soccer jersey to Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff at a press conference in New York on Thursday, August 3, 1978, where it was announced that Cruyff will play in two exhibition games with the Cosmos following the 1978 Naslhseason. It was also agreed that if Cruyff ever plays soccer again in the future, he would only play for the Cosmos. (Photo | AP)