Brazilian football god Pelé: Icon of his country, legend of Santos. Who gave him his famous nickname?

Pelé will always remain a great football legend and one of the most famous personalities in human history. The number of awards he received during his lifetime and his entry in the Guinness Book of Records are testament to this. What was the key point at the beginning of his professional career and who recommended him to Santos? Who gave the famous Brazilian star his iconic nickname?

Edson Arantes de Nascimento – that’s exactly the full name of the famous Brazilian legend and one of the best players ever on the planet, Pelé. It should be noted, this name was given to him by his father, after the famous inventor Edison.

But where did “Pelé” come from? There are several stories about how Pelé got his nickname. One of the most famous, however, is that the Brazilian legend was nicknamed by a classmate. And although the bearer himself is said to have hated it at first, he eventually got used to it and thanks to it, the whole world will always know him.

Moreover, it’s a short and punchy brand that sold well throughout Pelé’s career, something he knew all too well.

As the vast majority of football fans will also know, Pelé came from a poor background. But what should be noted is that Pelé’s father also played football at that professional level, under the name of Dondinho.

So Pelé’s footballing ability was inherited from someone. Pelé started his professional career at the age of 15 at the local club Bauru in Sao Paulo. It was here that he was coached by Waldemar de Brito, who was at a key moment in Pelé’s career.

The former striker, who had spent his career mainly in his native Brazil, simply saw Pelé as a great talent and recommended him to a much bigger club where Pelé could develop his talent and eventually become an icon – Santos.

Club career – Santos FC

So in the summer of 1956, Pelé joined Santos, whereupon it was already known at the time just how talented a player he was. He made his debut on 7 September that year against Corinthians, at the age of 15. Santos decimated their opponents 7-1.

Pelé not only put in a very impressive performance even then, but scored the opening goal of his career in his first match. He subsequently earned a place in the first team and became the league’s top scorer at the age of 16.

It is also absolutely amazing that just ten months after signing his professional contract he was called up to the national team. Pelé won his first major triumph in 1958 when he won the Campeonato Paulista with Santos. In addition, he was named top scorer with 58 goals, a record that still stands today.

However, his greatest successes came in the 1960s, when he won six championships with Santos. Specifically, from 1961 to 1965 and then one more in 1968.

The first years of this decade, however, were his most successful in club football. In addition to the titles, he also won the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup in 1962 and 1963.

He spent almost his entire career at Santos and it is no wonder that he is not only a legend of the club, but also its top scorer with 643 goals in 659 games. He scored his 1000th goal on 19 November 1969 in a match against Vasco da Gama.

There is, of course, a big curiosity, perhaps one could say controversy, attached to this. In any case, you can find out more not only about this moment, but about his entire career in our special on Pele attached above.

Pelé as a national treasure

We must add, however, that Pelé, given his performances, had many offers from abroad. Several famous clubs have tried to sign him, including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus Turin. However, none of them succeeded.

In 1958, Inter Milan reportedly succeeded in acquiring him, but Angelo Moratti was forced to tear up the contract at the request of the Santos chairman following a riot by Santos’ Brazilian fans. Valencia also had a similar deal with Pele, but Santos refused to let him go after the stunning 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

Well, in 1961, the Brazilian government, led by President Jânio Quadros, declared Pelé an “official national treasure” to prevent his transfer out of the country.

Club career – NY Cosmos

Pelé did, however, transfer once. This transfer, however, took place at the very end of his career. After the 1974 season, and thus his nineteenth season in a Santos jersey, he ended his career in Brazilian club football, although he continued to play occasionally for Santos in official competitive matches.

A year later, he returned from that semi-retirement and signed for the American club New York Cosmos. Even in his older age, however, he still had much to offer the overseas league, and it was Pelé who raised awareness of football in the USA.

In any case, Pelé managed to win the title here as well, scoring a total of 57 goals in the American competition. In 1977, he finally retired from his rich football career.

National team career

He first played for the Brazilian national team at the age of 16, specifically in 1957 against Argentina. And even though Brazil lost to Argentina 1: 2, Pelé scored his first goal for Brazil in that match at the age of 16 years and nine months and remains his country’s youngest ever goal scorer.

At the age of 17, he then played in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, which was a success not only for him but for the whole of Brazil, which won gold in the Scandinavian country. Pelé scored six goals at that tournament and became the youngest holder of the title.

Pelé is the only person in history to have won three World Cup golds (1958, 1962 and 1970). He played in 92 matches for the national team, scoring 77 goals, making him Brazil’s all-time top scorer. He registered his last match for the national team in 1971.

As we write above, you can find out more about not only Pelé’s club career, but also his exploits within the national team in our special attached above.

Pelé’s post-career activities, awards and achievements

The Brazilian icon not only after, but also during his professional career has already starred in several films. One of his most famous activities, however, is his time at UNESCO, where he served as an ambassador in the fight against child poverty and drug addiction, based on his childhood experiences.

However, Pelé also worked to improve conditions in Brazilian football. He served as Brazil’s Minister of Sport from 1995 to 1998. And then in 2001, the Pelé Law was enacted to eliminate or at least reduce corruption in Brazilian football.

As we write above, Pelé was not only a great footballer, but also a good person. And this is evidenced by several awards. In 1997, he received an honorary British knighthood, and in 1999 he was named Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee.

And to make matters worse, Time magazine included him in its list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. Then, at the turn of the new millennium, he was named Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History.

Pelé has achieved a lot in his career. He scored a total of 92 hat-tricks, 31 times scoring six goals in a match. He even scored eight times in a single game once, in 1962, when Santos blasted Botafogo 11-0. What’s more, his 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches, which includes friendlies, are included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Sources: FIFA, ESPN, BBC, Brazilian national football team