Pele biography summary examples

Pele is the most iconic footballer of the Twentieth Century. He epitomised the flair, joy and passion the Brazilians bought to the game. He was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison his parents removed the i.

What is pele known for

He was taught to play football by his father who used to play football , but often he had to practise with a sock stuffed with newspapers because he could not afford to buy a football. As well as playing football, he worked as a waiter in local tea shops. In his youth, Pele played in indoor leagues, and this helped increase his speed of reactions.

He rose through the youth leagues and at the age of 15 was signed by Santos FC. He was soon marked out as a future star. By the age of 16, he was the top scorer in the Brazilian league and received a call up for the Brazilian national side. Interest was such that the Brazilian President declared Pele a national treasure to prevent him being bought by foreign clubs such as Manchester United.

As a teenager, the young and unknown Pele helped inspire Brazil to victory in the World Cup. He scored in the final during a win over Sweden and finished the competition with six goals and a reputation as the brightest prospect in football. In , Pele helped Brazil to retain the World Cup, though he was injured in the early rounds, meaning he was sidelined for the knock-out stages.

In , Brazil were hot favourites, and Pele was the most famous and highly-rated player in the world. However, his high profile made him the target of some vicious tackles by the Bulgarian and Hungarian players.