PELÉ

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (name given as Edison on birth certificate, born 21 October 1940, however, Pelé known by his nickname Pelé, is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as the best football player of all time. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the IFFHS International Federation of Football History and Statistics. In the same year French weekly magazine France- Football consulted their former "Ballon D'Or" winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. Pelé came in first place. In 1999 the Internacional Olympic Commitee named Pelé the "Athlete of the Century". In his career he scored 760 official goals, 541 in league championships, making him the top scorer of all time. In total Pelé scored 1281 goals in 1363 games.

In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contributions to the game of football. 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).

Early years Pelé was born in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil, the son of Fluminense footballer Dondinho and Dona Celeste Arantes. He was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison. However, his parents decided to remove the 'i' and call him 'Edson', but there was a mistake on the birth certificate, leading many documents to show his name as 'Edison', not 'Edson', as he is actually called Pelé grew up in poverty in Bauru, São Paulo. He earned extra money by working in tea shops as a servant. Taught to play by his coach, he could not afford a proper soccer ball and usually played with either a sock stuffed with newspaper, tied with a string or a grapefruit. In 1954, aged fourteen, he joined Bauru Athletic Club juniors in Bauru, São Paulo. In 1956, de Brito took Pelé to Santos, an industrial and port city in the state of São Paulo, to try out for professional club Santos Futebol Club (Club where Neymar plays today) telling the directors at Santos that the 15-year-old would be "the greatest football player in the world." Aged 16, Pelé made his debut for Santos in 7 September 1956, scoring one goal in a 7–1 friendly victory over Corinthians. When the 1957 season started, Pelé was given a starting place in the first team and, at the age of 16, became the top scorer in the league. Ten months after signing professionally, the teenager was called up to the Brazil national team. Pelé won his first major title with Santos in 1958 as the team won the Campeonato Paulista; Pelé would finish the tournament as top scorer with 58 goals, a record that stands today.

After football President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva and Pelé in commemoration for 50 years since the first World Cup title won by Brazil in 1958, at the Palácio do Planalto, After football Prime Brands, a Brazilian Licensing Company created in 2006, directed by CEO José Kanner, now manages the Pelé brand including contracts with IMG Licensing who acts on behalf of Prime for international licensing, working with partners such as Pelé Sports, Kotobukiya and the Art of Pelé amongst others. The most notable area of Pelé's life since football is his ambassadorial work for various bodies. In 1992, Pelé was appointed a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. Pelé, Brazil's Extraordinary Minister for Sport, with U.S. President in Rio de Janeiro, 15 October He was awarded Brazil's Gold Medal for outstanding services to the sport in 1995, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed him to the position of " Extraordinary Minister for Sport" and he was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. During this time he proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football, which became known as the Pelé law. Pelé left his position in 2001 after he was accused of involvement in a corruption scandal, although nothing was proven, and it was also denied by UNICEF. In 1997, Pelé received an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elisabeth II, at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace. Pelé scouted for Premier League club G Fulham in He was chosen to do the draw for the qualification groups for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals.

José Naelson Pereira da Silva Júnior Kaique Cavalcante Leal Leonardo Pardim Lira 1º B - Ensino Médio

EE JARDIM MORAES PRADO II SÃO PAULO - SP – BRAZIL 2012 SILVIANA GROSSI - TEACHER City where Pele is born statue in his honor.