Pelé’s Life Achievement in Soccer

Pelé’s name is synonymous with greatness in the sport of soccer.  He is widely considered to be the greatest player of all time and his accomplishments on the field are a testament to that claim.

On December 29th, The World received the sad news that Pelé passed away after being treated at Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil for colon cancer, kidney, and heart failure. 

With Pelé’s guide, you will learn about the game of soccer like never before. You will hear about the tactics and strategies that made him one of the greatest players in history. You will also get an inside look at the man behind the legend, and see how he has used his platform to make a difference in the world.

Pelé’s Biography

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was one of the most successful and popular sports stars of the 20th century, widely recognized as one of the best players of all time, and dubbed “the greatest” by FIFA. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

Pelé grew up in poverty in Bauru in the state of São Paulo. He supplemented his income by working as a servant at the tea shops. Taught to play soccer by his father, he could not afford a proper football and usually played with either a sock stuffed with newspaper and tied with string or a grapefruit. 

Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. According to Pelé, indoor football has tough challenges, he said it’s a lot faster than football on the pitch and players have to think faster because people are closer. Pelé credits indoor football for helping him think better on the spot. In addition, indoor football allowed him to play with adults when he was about 14 years old.

Pelé’s Career

Pelé started playing for Santos at the age of 15 and the Brazilian team at the age of 16. During his international career, he won 3 World Cup titles in 1958, 1962, and 1970, more than any other player.

Pelé rose to superstardom after his performance at the World Cup in 1958. He played professionally in Brazil for two decades, winning three World Cups before joining the New York Cosmos in the final years of his career. He was named Player of the Century by the International Football Federation (FIFA) in 1999

At this time, he achieved superhero status in Brazil and became a household name around the world. He shines brightly as the youngest player to score a hat-trick and the youngest player to score in a World Cup final.

With his spectacular scoring ability, Pele is known all over the world. His teams have traveled internationally many times to make the most of this popularity. Since retiring in 1977, Pele has become a worldwide football ambassador, working on numerous commercial and acting projects. In 2010, he was named President Emeritus of the New York Cosmos.

Pelé’s Style Of Play

Pelé is also famous for associating the phrase “The Beautiful Game” with football. He was a prolific goal scorer recognized for his ability to anticipate opponents in the area and finish chances with a precise and powerful shot with either foot. Pelé was also a dedicated team player and a complete forward with excellent vision and intelligence, who was praised for his precise passing and ability to link up with teammates and assist them.

In his early career, he played in a variety of attacking positions. Although he usually operated inside the penalty area as a main striker or centre forward, his wide range of skills also allowed him to play in a more withdrawn role, as an inside forward or second striker, or out wide. In his later career, he took on more of a deeper playmaking role behind the strikers, often functioning as an attacking midfielder. 

Pelé’s unique playing style combined speed, creativity, and technical skill with physical power, stamina, and athleticism. His excellent technique, balance, flair, agility, and dribbling skills enabled him to beat opponents with the ball, and frequently saw him use sudden changes of direction and elaborate feints in order to get past players, such as his trademark move, the drible da vaca. Another one of his signature moves was the paradinha, or little stop.

Pelé’s Legacy

By the time Pelé officially retired in 1977, he had amassed a series of seemingly unbreakable records. He scored a total of 1,283 goals in 1,363 matches, making him the top scorer in the history of the Brazillian national team and FIFA history. Equally impressive, he scored 92 hat-tricks. He also set the record for the most FIFA World Cup wins by an individual, with three medals of his own.

The decision to retire did not diminish Pelé’s reputation in public. He remains a well-liked athlete, while also being active in many professional arenas. In 1978, Pelé was awarded the International Peace Prize for his contributions to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). He has also been appointed Brazil’s Special Minister for Sport and as the United Nations ambassador for ecology and the environment.

In Reality, most of the great athletes in this sport are compared to the Brazillian, who once brought the whole world to halt to watch his transcendent play. He famously said, “success doesn’t happen by chance. It’s hard work, perseverance, learning, research, sacrifice, and most of all, loving what you’re doing or learning”

Now, you can show your support for Pelé’s legacy with a special edition shirt at Ink In Action. These shirts are a great way to show your appreciation for all that Pelé has done for the sport. So don’t wait – get your shirt today if you want to commemorate Pelé.

Summary

If we had to find the symbol above all else for soccer as a sport, no one would be more appropriate than Pelé. That could also be one reason why Pelé is called the ‘King of Soccer’. The notion of the highest peak of soccer is, first of all, someone whose athletic physicality far exceeds the rest. That, along with endless anecdotes about talent and influence, is why Pelé is considered the ‘King of Soccer ‘. 

What is Pelé’s legacy to the soccer world? Everything the football world has contains more or less Pelé’s silhouette. Before Pelé, soccer was just a sport. After Pelé, soccer is forever king. To some extent, Pelé is soccer.