⚽ Soccer · Forward

Pelé

Brazil · 1956–1977

The only player to win three World Cups.

3
World Cups: ~1,280 (all matches)
Career goals: 92
Brazil caps: 77
Brazil goals

Career

Edson Arantes do Nascimento joined Santos at fifteen and was a world champion at seventeen, scoring twice in the 1958 final. He combined explosive acceleration, two-footed finishing and an unusual willingness to create for others, and stayed at Santos through the peak of his career rather than moving to Europe. A late spell with the New York Cosmos did more to establish the sport in the United States than any campaign before it.

Honours

World Cup winner in 1958, 1962 and 1970
Youngest scorer in a World Cup final, aged 17
Two Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups with Santos
FIFA Player of the Century (joint award, 2000)

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