Pelй: Edson Arantes Do Nascimento

Pelй was born on October 23, 1940. He was born in the small Brazilian town of Trкs Coracones (Tres Coratsoin, translated it means 'Three Hearts') in the state of Sгo Paulo. His birth name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. His father was Dondinho, another excellent soccer player. His birth name Joгo Ramos do Nascimento.

Pelй's father had been a great soccer player before Pelй was born. Pelй's father had to retire prematurely. During a game, he was slide tackled and sustained serious career-ending injury to the knee. Instead of playing the sport he loved, he had to resort to scrubbing floors to support his family. As a result, Pelй's mother was greatly opposed to Pelй playing soccer.

However, after Pelй was born, the family moved to Bauru, another city in Sгo Paulo. He played soccer in the field behind his house. He used Coca-Cola cans to mark the sidelines and goalposts. The ball was made of rags and socks. His father gave him valuable tips during these sessions. After a while, as he played more and more, Pelй was starting to master the sport.

While these sessions were going on, Pelй's career was off to a running start. He played for the local youth team, Bauru AC. His coach was a man named Waldemar de Brito. He had been another great player in Brazilian soccer history. Brito taught Pelй the bicycle kick. That is a trick that Pelй would use very many times to score many goals. When the ball was in the air, he would turn his back, then jump into the air horizontally, then kick the ball.

Pelй played for Bauru AC until 1956. He was fifteen years old. He left home to play for Santos FC in the city of Sгo Paulo. He ended up playing for Santos for most of his career. Santos was the most successful and widely recognized team worldwide.

When he was seventeen, in 1958, he was selected to play in the World Cup for Brazil. He played for the Brazilian national team, in competitions and exhibitions, from 1958 until 1974. In Sweden in World Cup 1958, he scored six goals. These included a hat trick in the semi finals, and two in the final. Brazil easily took the Cup home.

Pelй had his quietest years in 1959, 1960, and 1961. In 1962, Brazil won their second World Cup in a row. Santos won a club championship under the guidance the best soccer player ever, Pelй. They went into 1963 defending their title. They won the championship again.

It seemed as though Pelй's career was reaching its climax. In World Cup 1966 in England, Brazil was searching for an unprecedented third in a row. However, Pelй was more of a target than ever, and he was fouled often. He missed a few games due to a bad muscle injury. Brazil did not win the Cup.

In Mexico in 1970, Pelй was playing in his fourth World Cup. That has never been done, and