Pelé (born Edson Arantes do Nascimento[1]) was a Brazilian soccer player who spent time late in his career in the U.S. with the New York Cosmos. Most consider him the greatest soccer player ever.
Pele led Brazil to World Cup championships in 1958, 1962 and 1970 - three out of the four tournaments when Pele was in his prime. In the 1958 tournament, Pele (at the age of 17) scored six goals in four games, including a goal in the finals that is considered one of the greatest ever. In the 1970 tournament, Pele led what is considered to have been the finest soccer team ever.
Upon winning the 1970 World Cup final, Pele did not rejoice with his teammates immediately. Instead, Pele went off alone to give thanks to God. He explained that his team prayed together before winning the finals also, "But never that we might win. We prayed for the poor, the crippled, the sick, the innocent in wars and for the health of loved ones."[2]
Pele also played on the Brazilian World Cup team in 1966, but was injured due to the violence of the adversaries.
For the most of his career, he played in Santos Futebol Clube, a soccer team of Santos, in the state of São Paulo.