His farnily name is Edson Arantes do

Mascimerito, 1ut people call hirn Pel. Ho is

the number one player in the story of soccor.
In 1,363 gaines, he scoied I ,264 goals. With
Drazl, he won the World Cup* three times.
ue visited eightynight countries, and his
picture was in every newspaper.
But Pel is not only a fanious soccer player.
He knows Spanish, Italian, English, and French.
He writes music, and he works Por thc l3raziliari
povernmcnt.
Today, Pel is fairious. In 1'95( , ne was a boy
of tcn
with no shoes. This is his story.

Early Years

Edsoia Arantes do Masciiaaento carrie into the

world on the night of October 23, 1940. His
faniily callcd him Dico. They lived in a small
house in TYs Coraes, Drazil.
Dico has socccr playci s logs, his father
said.
Hes going to be a doctor, not a soccer
playor, Dicos mother, Celeste, said. Ccleste
was angry. Dondinho, Dicos father, was a socc
er }layer, init he didnt rnake iaaucli money.
Flondinho snalecl. There were problemas
in the

ily pt.iycci soccer, and the faivily had

thc samc iiioiicy )i 1 le int.

faiaiily about soccer, brit there was a lot l love in the

house, too.
In 1944 the manager o Bauru A tictic, a 1g
soccer clrib, talkecl to Doiidinho. We want a
acl socer player, the iran said. lts not iiiuch
moia ey, hut UA MTY5 work in the town, too. Do
you want the jet?
l9ondinho said yes, and the tammy iiiov l t l J.iriru.
The manager was wrong about one thiiia. Tlici
c was no work for Dondinho in the towia. He i

But Dico was happy iii Bauru with his now

friends. They played their first gamc of soccer in
Ren Ruben Erradu, a street near Dicos house.
Their football was an old newspaper.
Little Dico played a lot of soccer. Celostc wasnt
happy about this. Theres no nioncy in the ganac,
she said.
Dico sniilod. His iriothcr was right.
He loved
soccer, but he didnt want to be a soccer player.
He wantcd to work at the airpoit. He often wont
there ari1 lookcd at the airplanes.
But Dices first y ob wasnt in a soccer stadiuni or
an airport. It was at Dauru station, in 1948. Ho
clcaned shoes. In that year, things werc difficult for
the faiiuly. But then, Dondinho started work in a
doctors
officc. He cleaned thc buil1ing and
answered the telephoiac. In the afternoons, Dico
often visitod his fathcr.

In ten years, yourc going to be a

young mm,

Llondinho said one day. What do you

want to ro? I want to work with
airplanes, Dico saicl.
OK. But school is important for
that, said his
father.
Later that

year,

Dico

started

school.

only
stayed in School becauso he wanted a job
at the airport. But iac day, an airplaric
carrie down neai the school. Dico and his
friends went to the doctors office and
lookcd in one of the windows. The naan
from tlac airplane was dead. Dico iacvcr
talked about a y ob with arplaiaes again.
He

wasn't

a good student. LIc

A I'ew
Name

In 1951, Pel started a club, Scplci nbci",

with his friends. People called theiii the

The
iiiipoi tant thing for Dico
now was soccer. Everiings and
weekerids, hc played with his friends. In
the afternoons, ho was with Dondinho.
Dondlnho was his soccer teachei, and
Dico was a vcry good student.
After two years, Dico was the riuiaibei
one young
player in Bauru. His friends started to
call hiin Pel. Where docs the
name coirie from? people often
ask. Pel cIoesnt know.

teana with no shoes. Thcy vvanted to

play in Buitre A//c/ros chaiaipionship for
young
teatros, but the shoes were a
problena.
One day, a father of one of the playera
cauac with shoes for the team. Today, Im
giving you a new nameu11ci ignicin,
he said. How, they cant call you the
team with no shoes.
diiirr/jn/i/tu played very well and won the
chaiaiionship. Alter the final, Hondiriho
lookei at his son and smiled. You played
a beautiful gaiiie, Dico, he said.

Valdeiriar
de Brito
Bam u A tlt e 1iked Pels beautiful gairic,
too. Tlicy wanted hma for the clubs new
tcani of
young

pIz jcrs , Baquinho. The team riiaiiager was

Valdeiiiai de Brito, a fanious man in Brazilian

soccer. 1e1 was very happy.

Valdeniar was a good manager and a good
teacher. In 1953, Baquiiilio won the Bauru young
team chaiiapionship. Alter this, Valdeniar moved
away. Pel was very sorry.
One yeai later, Pel finished school and started
to work in a shoc factory. At weekends, he
played for Buqr i bo, but he didnt like the ncw
manager. 1954 was a bad year.
In the winter of the new year, Valdenaar carrie
to Pels housc. He wanted to talk to the family.
Your son is fifteen now, he said. Hes a
very good soccer player. He can try for a y
ob with 6nn/o .
Hondinho and Pel were happy. Munce
was a very famous club in Brazil. Celeste
didnt like it, but she said yes. Some
clays later, Dondinho and Pel went to
Saiatos on the train.
The Mnno players arent going to like
me, Pol said.
But there was no problem. Pel played
well, and the club was hapy with its new
player. Pel was happy, too. After some
weeks, ho had a good friend on the
team. His name was Zito.
Pol wasnt in the first team. But one
day, a first team
player, Vasconcelos, had an injury.

Let's put young Pel in the first team, the manager

said.
Pel played well and stayed in the first team. He
scored his first goa1 for them on September 7, 1956.
Alter that, he started to score a lot of goals. The team
were vcry happy. In Junc, 1957, they played in the
Maracaria Charnpionship. Pe1 scored cight goals.
Suddenly, he was famous.
Thank you, Valdeiriar, said Pel.

The World Cup Gaines

rte/! Pr//! rte/! called the Brazilian soccer fans.
The managers of the Brazilian team listened.
Late in 1957, the names of the new Brazilian World
Cup team werc on the radio: . . . Castilho . . . Gilmar
Mazzola . . . PELE !
Can that be right? Pe1 asked. They want mc? He
was only seventecn.
The 1958 World Cup gaines were iii Swcden. Pel
played very well. Brazil won thcir first pames with no
probleriis. Then they beat Russia 20, but it was a
difficult gaiaae. Wales were a stroiag team, too. out Peli
scored a goal, and Brazil won 10. The gariie with
France wasiat difficult. Brazil won 52, and Pe1 scored
three goals. How they were in the final with Sweden.
I3razil didnt start well, and Sweden scored first. But

then, Brazil scored live goals. Two of those goals were

Pelcs, and Brazil won 52.

Pelc scored six goals in his first World Cup. Di azil
were the chaiaapions. 1Iow, Pel xvasrit oiily famous in
Brazil.
1e1 didnt play in the later gentes of the 1 962
World Cu in Chile, because he had ari iiijury. He
watclied his tenii, and they beat Czechoslovakia 31 in
the final. Drazil were the champions again, and Pelo was
wry happy for the team.
The 1966 World Cup was in Englarid. Pete doesnt
like ieiiienabei ing this chainpionship. Usually, Srazil
went to the
gaines with twentytwo players. In
England, they had Por tytliree. This was bad for the
team, bccause therc were new playera in evcry ganae. In
an carly ganae, Por tu qa1 beat theni 31. The clay alter
that qaiiic, Brazil went hoiiie.
In 197H, the World Cup chanapionsliip was in
Mexico. Pel was only twentyninc, but ne was the old
iaian of the Braziliari tcaiia. They beat Czechoslovakia 4
l , tlicn they played E land, the world claaiiipioris. It
was a very inteiestinq game, and Diazil won lII. Alter
this, they beat Roiaiaiaia 32, and Pel scored two goals.
Then they played Peru in the Jalisco Stadiuiai , and they
won 42. II ow, there was only one game, with
Uruguay, before the final. It was difficult, but Brazil
won 31. The team went to Mexico City and waited
for the final with Italy.

The 1970 World Cup final started in the Aztec

Stadium on the afteriaoon of June 21, 1970. Pel
quickly scored a very good goal. There was a goal from
Italy, but then Drazil scored three times. They won 41.
Alter the game, Pel said goodbye to World Cup
soccer.
Peo]1e were very sorry. How many players in the
world can say, I won three World Cups? they asked.
There was only one answer. There was only one man.
His name was Pel.

A Diff icult Girl

It was a Saturday night in 1958. Pel and Zito
were in
Santos again, alter the World Cup.
Theres a girls hall game in the stadium,
Zito said.

Lets go and watch.

There was a young white girl at the hall
game. She

looked at Pel rriany tinaos, and he looked at

her.
Youre the famous Pel, and you
Enw tn, she said, alter the game.

play

for

That's right, Pel said. Are you from the

town? Yes, thc girl said. Dut I dont
like soccer. Then,
the walked away.
Who was that? Zito asked.
lel sniiled. A difficult pirl, he said.

name. He talked to lier friends. Her name's

Rosemeri Cholby, they said. She works in
a music store.
That same week, Pel went to the store.
Rosemeri was there. They talked for soiaae
tinae, then Pel asked, Can you como out
with me sometinaes?
Im sorry, Roseirieri said. Im only
fourteen. I don't go out with boys. But
come to my house one afternoon.
Pel was a visitor at Rosemeris house for
seven
' years. Then, in February, 1965, they married. The
boy
with no shoes and the difficult girl were very happy.

Pels Years with Santos

Pete played for 5unios hoiri August, 1956 to

October, 1974. In those years, they were the number
one club in Drazil and the worlcl. They won the
Brazilian Cliampionship in 1961, 1962, 1963,
1964, and 1965. They won the South American Club
Chanapionship in 1962, 1963, and 1968. And they
won the World Club Championship in the same
years.

Pel likcd the difflcult girl, brlt he didnt

know hcr
Pel and the Santos team visited many
countries and played a lot of gaines. Soirietiiries,
this was difhcult for Pel. He didnt like
staying in hotels all the time; he wanted to be
howe in Brazil with his family.
Pels final game for Suelos was on October 2, 1974.
The game was with Ponte Prew. Alter a short time, Pel

stopped playing. ble had the hall in his

hands and looked at the fans in the stadium.
Thank you, he said, and he walkod
away from the game.
We love you, called the fans.
After Suelos, Pel went to New York for a
job with
an American team, Uco Con Cosmos. ue
)of was for

$4,700,000. Many people in Brazil

were unhappy about this. Pel is only
going for the money, they said. But they
were wrong. Pele wanted to make soccer

famous in the D.S. He did this, and his new

team were very happy.
Pel stayed with Uco Con Cosmos for three
years. His final game was on October 1, 1977. It
was with his old club, Mnnos. Pel played for
his new team, and then for Santos. He scored
a good goal and said goodbye to soccer.

After Soccer
Pel didnt stop working. He wasnt only a good
soccer player and teacher. He loved young
people, too. He worked for IMICEF,* and talked
with governnaents about the problema of the
worlds children. Then, in 1995, he started to
work for the Brazilian government. But the
worlds soccer fans remember hini for his two
good feet, and say: Thank you, Pel: Soccer
Champion of the World.

*UINICEF: Workers for UINICEF io good thiiigs for children

with problerns.