Pelé

Hello! My name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but the whole world knows me as Pelé. I want to tell you my story. I was born on October 23rd, 1940, in a small town in Brazil called Três Corações. My family didn't have much money, but we had a lot of love, especially for football—or as you might call it, soccer! My father, Dondinho, was a footballer, and he was my first hero. I wanted to be just like him. Since we couldn't afford a real football, I would practice by kicking a grapefruit or a sock stuffed with paper. It didn't matter what I used; I just loved the feeling of the ball at my feet.

When I was just 15 years old, in 1956, I got the chance to play for a professional team called Santos FC. It was a dream come true! I worked very hard, and just a year later, in 1957, I was chosen to play for my country on the Brazil national team. I was so proud to wear the yellow and green jersey. In 1958, I traveled all the way to Sweden to play in my very first FIFA World Cup. I was only 17, one of the youngest players there, but I wasn't scared. I scored six goals in the tournament, and Brazil won the World Cup for the very first time! Holding that trophy felt like magic.

That was just the beginning. I got to play in three more World Cups and helped Brazil win again in 1962 and 1970. People started calling me 'O Rei,' which means 'The King' in Portuguese. It was a huge honor. One of my proudest moments came on November 19th, 1969. In a big game at a famous stadium in Brazil, I scored my 1,000th career goal. The crowd went wild, and people even ran onto the field to celebrate with me! After many years with Santos, I moved to the United States in 1975 to play for the New York Cosmos. I wanted to help more people in America fall in love with 'the beautiful game,' which is what I always called football.

After I stopped playing professionally in 1977, my work wasn't finished. I traveled the world as an ambassador for football and for organizations like UNICEF, helping children and spreading a message of peace. I believed that sports could bring people together and make the world a better place. I lived to be 82 years old, and I feel so lucky that my story has inspired so many boys and girls to follow their dreams. I hope when you think of me, you remember that it doesn't matter where you come from or what you have. If you work hard and play with joy in your heart, you can achieve anything.