Pelé

Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23 October 1940 in Três Corações, in Minas Gerais, and grew up poor in Bauru, in São Paulo state. His father, Dondinho, was a footballer whose career was cut short by a knee injury, and taught him the game. Where the nickname "Pelé" came from is not known for certain; he himself thought it began with his mispronouncing the name of a goalkeeper called Bilé.

He joined Santos in 1956, at 15, and made his debut for Brazil at 16. At 17 he scored twice in the 1958 World Cup final in Sweden. He went on to win the World Cup again in 1962, though injured early in the tournament, and in 1970 in Mexico, as the leader of a team often called the best in history. He is the only player to have won three.

He played as a forward, usually as a striker or inside forward, and later as a playmaker behind the strikers. He could shoot with either foot, was strong in the air and was known for his vision and passing as well as his goals. He stood 1.73 m tall.

With Santos he won two Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups. Brazil's government declared him a national treasure in 1961 to stop him being sold abroad, and he never played for a European club. After leaving Santos in 1974 he played three seasons for the New York Cosmos, winning the North American title in 1977 before retiring.

How many goals he scored is disputed. He and Guinness World Records counted more than 1,280, including friendlies and exhibitions. Counting only official matches, statisticians give figures between about 757 and 775.

After football he worked as a global ambassador for the sport, appeared in films, served with UN agencies and was Brazil's first Minister of Sport from 1995 to 1998. He shared FIFA's Player of the Century award with Diego Maradona in 2000 and was the IOC's Athlete of the Century in 1999.

He married three times and had seven children. He died in São Paulo on 29 December 2022, aged 82, of complications of colon cancer, and is buried in Santos.