Edson Arantes do Nascimento, famously known as Pele, was born on October 23, 1940. He is also known as the God of football. He is a former professional soccer player from Brazil hailed as one of the all-time greats. He is the only player to have won the World Cup three times, in 1958, 1962, and 1970, and he is the all-time highest scorer for the Brazil national team with 77 goals in 92 games.
Despite the presence of players like Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé is known as the God of football. Pelé is the first player in the sport's history to win three World Cups with the same team. He did it for Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1966.
Pelé was known as a "goal-scoring machine" throughout his career. He is the only player in football history to have scored more than 1,200 goals. Also, he was a superbly skillful footballer who graced this game. The staggering numbers linked with this renowned Athlete significantly contributed to the accomplishments of his club and his nation.
This blog discusses the God of football and walks you through the career of football players.
Top 10 Best football players in the World of all time
Goals |
Name |
Country |
1279 |
Pele |
Brazil |
293 |
Diego Maradona |
Argentina |
803 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
834 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Portugal |
296 |
Johan Cruyff |
Netherlands |
152 |
Zinedine Zidane |
France |
357 |
Ronaldo |
Brazil |
230 |
Ronaldinho Gacho |
Brazil |
72 |
Franz Beckenbauer |
Germany |
302 |
Alfredo Di Stefano |
Argentina |
God of Football
The term "The God of Football" does not exist in official publications. There is a good chance that many people will say that Diego Maradona is the God of football. Even though Maradona won just one World Cup for Argentina in 1986, he accomplished it alone, unlike Pelé, who won the World Cup while playing for a strong squad.
Because of this, we have determined that Pelé, and not Diego Maradona, should be revered as the God of football.
Diego Maradona
He was a star on the Argentine national team that won the 1986 World Cup and was well known for his ability to control the ball and open up scoring possibilities for himself and his teammates. He also led his teams to club championships in Argentina, Italy, and Spain. Between 1982 and 1994, Maradona participated in four World Cups. In 2010, he served as the national team's coach. From the "Hand of God" goal against England in 1986 to his failing doping test that resulted in his expulsion from the tournament in 1994, some of his best—and worst—moments occurred at the World Cup. Are you still wondering who is the god of football? Most people agree that Diego Maradona, a famed Brazilian footballer, is the greatest player ever to play the game.
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Who is regarded as the football god? Messi or Ronaldo or Pelé
Ask a millennial if you want to know who the best football player is today. The answer to that question is either Messi or Ronaldo. "Who is the God of football?" is a common query. is sure to have been discussed by every die-hard football fan at some point. Johan Cruyff once claimed that Pelé was the only player who could push the limits of rationality.
Messi and Ronaldo have, without question, captivated millions of fans over the last several years. Both are extraordinary athletes combined for more than 680 goals for their respective clubs. Both of these football players are regarded to be underachievers since they have not won any World Cups. This is a significant point of difference between them. One more compelling reason why most football fans will never stop praising Pelé's brilliance. Pelé set several milestones in his career that are unlikely to be surpassed for many years. These include four appearances in the World Cup, of which he won three. And a Guinness World Record of 1,283 goals scored in 1363 matches.
Pelé scored two goals during a World Cup competition in 1958 when most nations still regarded him as too young to vote or drive. It is an accomplishment that has never been topped, especially considering that the World Cup is the most desired competition in football. Pelé was the best scorer for the Brazil National Football Team, won three World Cups, and set a record for being the youngest player to score in a World Cup at 17 years old. When these statistics are considered, there is no longer any question about who the God of football is.
The God of Football – Pelé Journey
It seems inconceivable that a legendary player like Pelé, who at his peak earned more money than any other athlete in the world, did not have access to a ball throughout his formative years. When he was practicing, he would utilize packed socks formed into the shape of a ball.
He was born on October 23rd, 1940, in Três Corais, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Pelé's father, Joo Ramos do Nascimento, was also a professional soccer player; nevertheless, his career was not successful enough to assist the family in overcoming the financial troubles they faced. When Pelé was a youngster, he helped support his family by doing a variety of occupations. However, he eventually acquired a strong interest in the game of football, and his father concluded that his son's actual skill lay on the field.
His father and Waldemar de Brito, who had been a player for the national team in the past, started teaching him. Soon after, Coach Brito spotted his potential and suggested that Santos FC contract him. Santos FC did that the following year and Pelé became a squad member. He went on to win a total of nine league titles in the Sao Paulo area. Within a year, Pelé had climbed to the top of the league's list of all-time goal scorers.
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A meteoric rise to fame and fortune
At the young age of 17, she accomplished all of this! Pelé became a household name after scoring the winning goal in the semi-final match against France. And the winning goal in the final match against Sweden during the 1958 World Cup, Brazil won. In 1962 and 1963, he triumphed in the Libertadores Cup and the Intercontinental Club Cup. The exciting play style and stunning goals scored by Pelé were a treat for his supporters. And they helped make him a celebrity worldwide.
During his career, no other football player came close to matching Pelé's record of eight goals scored in a single game. The statistics bear witness to his passion for racking up points. He never seemed to be satisfied with only scoring one goal! In addition to 92 hat tricks, he scored four goals on 31 occasions. He got five on six instances and eight on one occasion. Pelé's goals were pure entertainment. One of his goals was scored in the match for the World Cup championship versus Sweden. To achieve this goal, he displayed exceptional skill by keeping the ball in the air over the heads of three Juventus players. Unsurprisingly, his name is the first one that springs to mind whenever the question "Who is the god of football?" is posed.
Even though Pelé had previously said he would only play for Santos, he ultimately agreed to play for the New York Cosmos team. The club reaped enormous rewards due to this development, including a significant increase in ticket sales and even championship victories. Gordon Bradley is the head coach of the New York Cosmos club. He said that Pelé was the primary focus of the team's attention whenever it went on overseas tours. After several matches, his competitors were so enthusiastic about exchanging shirts with him that the club had no choice. They gave out t-shirts to all of his competitors after the game. At times, the club officials were required to carry anywhere from 25 to 30 t-shirts.
Pelé, also known as the "Black Pearl."
Many football players and fans have pondered how Pelé could lead his side to victory in any given complex scenario over the years. Pelé was often referred to as la Perla Negra, Spanish for "the Black Pearl," and he quickly became a national hero. One of the zillions of reasons for his success was his exceptional capacity to predict the maneuvers of his opponents, which rendered them speechless.
His playing style was sometimes referred to as "samba football," but actually, it was a great combination of samba and capoeira. It encompassed things like dance and martial arts, rhythm, and creative expression. On October 1, 1977, Pelé participated in his final game, a match between the New York Cosmos and Santos. Witnessing the final goal of the God of football was a happy and emotional event for his family and a large number of celebrities, including the boxer Muhammad Ali.
Distinguished Awards
Pelé was honored with several vital prizes due to his prowess as a forward, dribbler, scorer, and player with field vision above that of a normal human being.
- Pelé was honored by FIFA as the Football Player of the Century, a distinction he held for 100 years (International Federation of Association Football).
- The International Peace Award was bestowed on him in the year 1978.
- In 1980, the French daily newspaper L'Equipe selected him as the Athlete of the Century. This honor was bestowed upon him. The same award was presented to him by the International Olympic Committee in 1999.
- 1993 saw Pelé's induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in the United States.
- In addition to this, the year 2014 was the year when the Pelé Museum in Santos, Brazil, opened its doors to the public for the first time.
- In addition to these achievements, he was also the subject of several documentaries and wrote an autobiography that became a New York Times bestseller.
- 1977 saw the publication of one of his numerous musical works, the soundtrack for the film Pelé: Birth of a Legend. The movie brilliantly depicts a Brazilian superstar's spectacular ascent to fame, and it continues to motivate numerous young people even now.
These astounding facts and records end any potential disagreements when the topic of whom the God of football is brought up.
Here is some information about Pelé that you probably didn't know.
- The day Pelé scored his 1000th goal in 1969 is celebrated as Pelé Day in Santos, Brazil. This is why the 19th of November is known as Pelé Day.
- Pelé is the first footballer in World Cup history to have won three FIFA World Cup championships with their country of Brazil (1958, 1962, and 1970).
- Pelé appeared on the world stage for the first time in 1957, when he was just 16 years old.
- Have you ever heard of an individual being designated as a national treasure? This is correct. In 1961, the government of Brazil protected him by setting him a national treasure. This was done to stop other countries' football teams from recruiting him to play for them.
- The beginning of Pelé's transition from Athlete to politician came in 1995 when he was designated Brazil's Extraordinary Minister of Sport and served in that capacity until 1998. In addition to that, he served as the Ambassador for Ecology and the Environment for the United Nations.
If you are curious about the origin of the name Pelé, you should know that his family had a nickname for him growing up called Dico. He was not given the name Pelé until he started attending school.
According to the urban legend, he looked up to a goalie called Bilé, who played for Vasco do Gama. However, he pronounced it "Pile," which led to his classmates making fun of him and beginning to refer to him as "Pile." As a result, the name has remained.
What difference does it make if it's Pelé or Dico? Pelé said that he had never given the matter any attention in his own words. The genuine magic resides in the legacy that this player left behind on the pitch and the everlasting imprint that he made.
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