Pele

Pele

THE LEGEND OF FOOTBALL

best known by his nickname Pelé (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:  usual English pronunciation:  is a Brazilian retired former football player. While his birth certificate shows his first name as Edison, and he prefers to call himself Edson it is as Pelé that he has become a sporting legend.

In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contributions to the game of football in addition to being officially declared football ambassador of the world by FIFA and a national treasure by the Brazilian government. He is also acknowledged for his vocal support of policies to improve the social conditions of the poor (when he scored his 1,000th goal he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil). During his career, he became known as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei).^] He is widely considered as the best footballer of all time.