The world of Soccer lost a true icon, and arguably the game's best player of all time, to a long battle with cancer. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more famously known as Pelé, died  just days after the World Cup closed out, at the end of December, in São Paulo, Brazil. Every corner of the globe mourned the tragic loss in its own way. While some were forced to mourn from their own homes, thousands of Brazilian natives attended a casket walk-by held inside of the stadium Pelé opened his career at. In our own way, in the opportunity to shed light on one of the best to play the game, here is a reflection of Pelé’s timeline and his career in the beautiful game. 

Despite being a footballer with such an illustrious career, Pelé didn’t start out this way. As a matter of fact, most would be surprised to see where he started. Growing up in a poverty stricken Sao Paulo, his family was constantly struggling to provide for both themselves and each other. Their income was so low that Pelé’s father, Joao Ramos do Nascimento, was unable to afford a ball for their son. As for the rest of the legend? That did not stop the little boy from working out a way to play the game he adored. Pelé stuffed socks together and molded them into a ball so that he could have a kickabout.

He started out his career at a minor league club in Bauru, São Paulo, at 16 years old. After he felt he was ready to move on, it seemed as if the world of Football wouldn’t yet allow him to. Pelé was rejected by several major clubs on home soil. Fast forward to June 1956, Pelé  finally got his first yes in the midst of multiple no’s, from Santos FC, the same club Neymar Jr. found his professional start at. Three months later, Pelé scored his first goal in his debut. Just over a year later, Pelé was topping league leaders in scoring.

Pelé was not only a thrill to watch on the club stage, but in international competitions as well. Pelé was given his first World Cup call up in 1958. In the now five week competition, he scored a goal in the semifinal match, as well as the final. To help Brazil win the ‘58 World Cup. With such a thrilling performance throughout the tournament, he was honored as a national treasure. Due to injury, Pelé missed out on the next two world cups. Brazil was fortunate to have won it without their star forward in 1962, but they fell short in the ‘66 World Cup. In fact, they lost out in the group stages. 

During this era however, Pelé continued to excel at the club level with Santos FC. During his time with Santos, particular to this era, opposing teams would have to have a specific method of defensive play to face Santos, because they knew about the offensive threat the striker posed. Even with the alterations to team play, Pelé managed 60 goals in the 1964 season, and 101 goals in the year after that.

After long consideration, Pelé was ready to retire from his international career, despite playing in one last world cup in 1970. This era of Brazilian ball was considered one of the best teams in history. Brazil came away with the win, and Pelé was awarded the Golden Ball for his outstanding play. Following this, he said goodbye to Santos, but his illustrious career was not yet over. 

Pelé only ever wanted to play for Santos, but he couldn’t resist when the New York Cosmos asked him to come play for them. 1975, during the time of the NASL (North American Soccer League), was today’s MLS (Major League Soccer). However, the level of play of the North American Soccer League was lower than what Pelé was accustomed to. The North American Soccer League benefited greatly from his career in their league. Thanks to Pelé, the American public took notice of the star players' impact, while being largely unfamiliar with the game. Pelé led the New York Cosmos to a championship pre-retirement, and this became an exhibition match between the Cosmos and Santos FC. 

By the time of his retirement which occurred in 1977, Pelé had obtained numerous records to add to his already remarkable talents. He had scored 1,283 goals in 1,363 matches. This record crowned him as Brazils’ top scorer in national team history, as well as FIFA history. He managed to make 92 hat-tricks out of his vast goal array. He set the record for the most FIFA World Cup wins for an individual, and had three medals to his name. However, this started from early, as Pelé still holds the record for the youngest player to score a hat-trick, as well as score in a world cup final match.

Known by his nickname “O Rei,” Pelé went on to campaign for numerous causes. He campaigned for poverty reduction, environmental production, and anti-corruption movements. He served as the Minister of Sports in Brazil, received an honorary knighthood, and also assumed the role of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. As many would assume, he never stopped promoting the game, in both FIFA and Olympic events specifically. He is also responsible for short-handing the name “the beautiful game,” which is something many Soccer fans call the game when they talk about it to those who may be less knowledgeable. 

To this day, nobody knows how Pelé got his nickname. Some say it stemmed from the poor pronunciation of a goalie he looked up to who had the last name “Bilé.” Although the secret behind the nickname remains a mystery, his name was only one part of his many elusive talents. 

Due to many health complications, Pelé took his last breath on this earth on December 29th, 2022. He may no longer be with us, but his legacy and immense impact on the beautiful game will live on for generations to come.