Pele Essay, Research Paper

Have you ever heard of Edson Arantes do Nascimento? Probably not, because people new him by, “The Artist” or “Pele’”.

Pele’ was very well known because of his unique talent in the sport of soccer. The skinny little fifteen year old boy would wait

throughout the years watching his father work hard at his soccer career. It all started with Pele’ playing “futebol” in the lot

behind his house at his young age. He and his friends would play with Coca-Cola cans that were serving the purpose of goal

posts, side walks for side lines and a ball that was a round bundle of rags that were held together by strings, since the

rubber ball was a luxury. Growing up in Brazil many clubs offered to sign him up for the minor teams like his father started.

Playing for the Brazilian team, Edson was given the name Pele’ perhaps because he revealed his expertise in pick-up games

in vacant lots (peladas). Soon before Pele’ began his career as a professional” soccer player, his father ended his career

because of a major knee accident that acurred during a slide-tackle and unable him to go on with his career therefore the

great abilities of Dondinho (Pele’s father) were passed on down to his young son, Pele’.

As Pele’ became more and more famous recieving more and more cruzeiros (money), he would travel around the world

showing his talents in many countries and becoming very well known. As he traveled around the world, to his many

destinations (some which even he did not know he was going) he would carry a gym bag literily every where he went which

people of course would think that it was his soccer equipment, which they were proved wrong. What he realy carried in his

gym bag was all one single thing, money, which he called cruzeiros (back then, people that liverd in the United States were

not very familier with the word “cruzeiros” meaning money).

I think that Pele’ had one of the most successful soccer careers in the history of the sport. He was not just a great soccer

player but he also was a team player, was aggresive and was very compeditive. While growing up in the modern part of

Brazil, Pele’ learned about the importance f religon and self-confidence. He always kept his stanards high, but was also

never dissapointed, just worked harder at it. As a soccer player myself (although not quite as good as him–yet–) I believe

that for those reasons, is why Pele’ was as successful as he was, and I hope that someday I could be as good as he

was———–Tough Luck!!!!

Better known to the world as Pel?, Edson Arantes do Nascimento,was born in a small village in Brazil called Tres Coracoes

on October23rd 1940. Following in his father Joao Ramos do Nascimento footsteps who was also a professional player, at

the age of 11 Pele was discovered by a former Brazilian World Cup player named Waldermir de Brito. At the age of 15

while playing for De Britos club, De Brito took Pele to try out for a professional team called Santos Futebol Clube (SFC). De

Brito told the director that “This boy will be the greatest soccer in the world.” At the age of 15 in his first game on Sept 7

1956 Pele scored his first goal in a 7-1 Santos victory. In Pele’s first league game for Santos, Pele scored four goals.

The following season Pele was a regular starter and was the Sao Paulo league leading scorer with 32 goals. On July 7th

1957 Pele not yet sixteen, played his first game for the Brazilian national team in which he scored one of two goals in a

Brazil victory over Argentina. Pele had arrived,and would go on to play in four World Cups. (Sweden 1958,Chile

1962,England 1966, and Mexico1970). In 14 World Cup matches he scord 12 goals.

In four World Cups Pele brought home three World Cup Championships, during this time, Pele was titled the King and the

quality of soccer was based on the Brazilian standard. In the late 1960’s while playing for Santos, in a few friendly matches

in Nigeria, the on going civil war stopped for the duration of his visit.

Pele’s career ended in the USA where he played for the New York Cosmos. “I pray I live to see a fantastic site such as a

player to equal or pass the ability of Pele. Pele the greatest soccer player ever.”