Soccer
1940 to 2022
O REI
Brazilian icon and three-time FIFA World Cup champion whose name became synonymous with the beautiful game.
3
World Cups
1958, 1962, 1970
1
FIFA Player of Century
Joint, 2000
92
Brazil caps
Widely cited
1977
Cosmos finale
NASL years
Santos / Brazil
1956 to 1977
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, won World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He starred for Santos and later the New York Cosmos, becoming a global ambassador for football.
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing.”
Pelé
Soccer counting methods vary. National-team and club blocks stay separate. Unavailable lines are labeled, not zero-filled.
Brazil national team (FIFA-recognized). Caps and goals use widely cited national-team bookkeeping.
Club career (Santos, New York Cosmos). Club goal totals vary by source (friendlies vs official). Site does not invent a single club total.
Not available on Site
Missing lines are labeled unavailable. Never shown as zero.
1958
First World Cup
Wins title with Brazil as a teenager.
1962
Second World Cup
Brazil repeats as champions.
1970
Third World Cup
Completes a unique three-title career.
1975 to 1977
New York Cosmos
Helps grow soccer in the United States.
2022
Passed away
Died December 29, 2022.
Video media. Opens on YouTube. Not a GameDNA ranking.
Pelé made football a worldwide language. Goal totals must name their counting method, but his World Cup legacy needs no translation.
Soccer counting methods vary. National-team and club blocks stay separate. Unavailable lines are labeled, not zero-filled.
Brazil national team (FIFA-recognized). Caps and goals use widely cited national-team bookkeeping.
Club career (Santos, New York Cosmos). Club goal totals vary by source (friendlies vs official). Site does not invent a single club total.
Not available on Site
Missing lines are labeled unavailable. Never shown as zero.
1958
First World Cup
Wins title with Brazil as a teenager.
1962
Second World Cup
Brazil repeats as champions.
1970
Third World Cup
Completes a unique three-title career.
1975 to 1977
New York Cosmos
Helps grow soccer in the United States.
2022
Passed away
Died December 29, 2022.
Video media carousel. Thumbnails use licensed Commons photos when available.
Pelé made football a worldwide language. Goal totals must name their counting method, but his World Cup legacy needs no translation.
Separate photo slider. Wikimedia Commons licenses shown on each slide.
License: Public domain. Source
Research record: .orchestrator/research/legends/pele.md. Career totals are widely published league or Hall of Fame figures and should be read with competition and era labels. Image credits appear under the Images tab. Video links open third-party YouTube pages.
