The renowned Brazilian footballer, widely known as Pele, was born with the full name Edson Arantes do Nascimento. He earned the nickname Pele at a young age and it stuck with him throughout his life.
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Sadly, Pele passed away on December 29, 2022, at the age of 82, following a prolonged battle with cancer. The loss has been felt deeply by the football community, who have come together to pay their respects to one of the sport’s most legendary players.
What is Pele’s real name?
Pele is considered one of the greatest football players of all time and is known to millions simply as “Pele”. However, his real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, born on October 23, 1940, in Tres Corações, Brazil.
Pele’s love for football started at a very young age and by the time he was just 15 years old, he was already playing for Santos FC, a professional football club in Brazil. He quickly made a name for himself with his exceptional dribbling skills, goal-scoring ability, and precise passes. It didn’t take long for him to become a household name in Brazil and eventually, the world.
In 1958, Pele was selected to play for the Brazilian national team, and it was during this time that he truly established himself as a global icon. He went on to win three World Cup titles with Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970 and was the tournament’s top scorer in 1958 and 1970.
Pele’s career was not without its controversies, but his achievements on the field are unrivaled. He scored over 1,000 goals in his career, a feat that is considered one of the greatest in the sport. He was also named the FIFA World Player of the Century in 2000 and was inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame in 2006.
To this day, Pele remains a beloved figure in the world of football and continues to inspire millions of people around the world. His real name may not be as well-known as his nickname, but Edson Arantes do Nascimento will always be remembered as the legendary player known simply as “Pele.”
The Brazil icon told the Guardian back in 2006 that he was proud to be named after Edison and did not appreciate the nickname Pele.
“I thought Pele sounded horrible. It was a rubbish name. Edson sounded so much more serious and important.”
Where did the nickname ‘Pele’ come from?
The nickname “Pele” for Edson Arantes do Nascimento was given to him as a child. The story goes that he got the nickname from his school friends who would compare him to Vasco da Gama goalkeeper Bile, who was known for his mispronunciation of the word “Pele” (meaning “miracle” in Hawaiian).
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When Edson would perform impressive feats on the football field, his friends would shout “Pele!” and the name stuck.
Pele’s incredible talent and remarkable career have made him a football legend, and the name “Pele” has become synonymous with greatness in the sport. Today, he is widely recognized as one of the greatest football players of all time and is known simply by his nickname, Pele.
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Pele also admitted that while he had not been too keen on his nickname to start with, it was something he had grown used to over time.
He added: “Thanks to that goalie Bilé, and a classmate’s little joke, I became Pele. Now it’s known across the world and I don’t mind it so much.”
