A Pérola Negra (The Black Pearl)

       Today 23 October marks the birthday of the greatest football player in history, Pelé. I decided to bring to you a brief summary of the life of the "Black Pearl".
       Pelé (real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento) was born on 23 October 1940. He was named after the American inventor Thomas Edison. He received the nickname "Pelé" during his school days. He could not pronounce the name of his favourite player "Bilé" properly, instead he said "Pelé", so the name stuck.
       Pelé grew up in poverty in São Paulo. He earned extra cash by working in tea shops. He played for several amateur teams in his youth, including Sete de Setembro, Canto de Rio, São Paulinho and Amériquinha.
        In 1956, Pelé had a trial with professional club Santos FC. He impressed and he signed a professional contract with them in June 1956, aged 15. He made his debut on 7 September 1956 against Corinthians Santo Andre, scoring the first of his record 1,281 goals.
        In the 1957 season, Pelé became the top scorer in the league and was called up to the Brazil national team aged 16. He won his first major title with Santos in 1958, lifting the Campeonato Paulista; he would finish the tournament with 58 goals, a record that stands today. Santos' most successful club season came in 1962 as they won the Campeonato Brasileiro, Taça Brasil and the Intercontinental Cup. The latter where Pelé produced one of the best performances of his blistering career, scoring an hat-trick in the process as Santos won 5-2 in Lisbon.
       Pele's electrifying play and penchant for fine goals made him a celebrity around the globe. His team Santos toured internationally to take advantage of his popularity. In 1967, the Nigerian Civil War was halted for 48 hours so they could watch Pelé play in Lagos. During his time at Santos, Pelé played alongside many talented players, including Zito, Pepe and Coutinho(not to be confused with the Real Madrid and Liverpool players).
        After the 1947 season (his 19th with Santos), Pelé retired from Brazilian club football, however he continued to play occasionally for Santos. Two years later, he came out of retirement and signed for New York Cosmos. He led them to the 1977 NASL Championship in his third and final season with the club.
        He ended his career with an exhibition match between the Cosmos and Santos. The match had in attendance Pele's father and wife, Muhammad Ali and Bobby Moore. It was televised throughout the world. Pelé scored his final goal from a direct free kick and Cosmos won 2-1.
      Pele had a very successful career at international level. He scored on his debut in 1957 against Argentina to become the youngest player to score in international football. He was 16 years and nine months.
        Pele would go on to win three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, being the only player ever to do so. He is the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 91 games.
        Regarded as the best player ever, Pelé is the most successful league scorer in the world, with 541 league goals. He scored a record 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. In 2010, he was named the Honorary President of the New York Cosmos and in 2013, he received the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in recognition of his career and achievements as a global icon of football.