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Pelé Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Quick Info→
Death Cause: Cancer
Death Date: 29/12/2022
Age: 82 Years

Pele

Bio/Wiki
Real NameEdson Arantes do Nascimento
Nickname(s)Dico, Pele, The Black Pearl
ProfessionProfessional Footballer (Retired), Humanitarian
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 173 cm
in meters- 1.73 m
in feet inches- 5’ 8”
Weight (approx.)in kilograms- 75 kg
in pounds- 165 lbs
Eye ColorBlack
Hair ColorBlack
Football
DebutInternational- On July 7, 1957 for Brazil against Argentina
Club- On September 7, 1956 for Santos against Corinthians Santo Andre
Jersey Number#10 (Brazil)
#10 (Santos)
Coach/MentorVicente Feola (Brazil), João Ramos
Retirement1977
PositionForward
Records • Brazil national football team All-Time Leading Scorer, 77 goals (95 goals including unofficial friendlies)
• Intercontinental Cup: All-Time Leading Scorer: 7 goals
• World record number of hat-trick: 92
• Most career goals: 1283 goals in 1363 games (Guinness World Records)
• Most FIFA World Cup Winners' Medals: 3 (Guinness World Records)
• Youngest winner of a FIFA World Cup: 17 years and 249 days (Guinness World Records)
Awards, Honors, Achievements International

• FIFA World Cup : 1958, 1962, 1970
• Roca Cup : 1957, 1963

Club

Santos

• Campeonato Paulista : 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A : 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
• Intercontinental Cup : 1962, 1963
• Intercontinental Supercup: 1968

New York Cosmos

• North American Soccer League, Soccer Bowl: 1977

Individual

• Copa Libertadores Top Scorer: 1965
• Campeonato Paulista Top Scorer : 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973
• FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1958
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (Best Player): 1970
• Copa América Top Scorer: 1959
• FIFA Player of the Century: 2000
• FIFA Order of Merit: 1984
• FIFA Centennial Award: 2004
• FIFA 100 Greatest Living Footballers: 2004
• Athlete of the Century, elected by International Olympic Committee: 1999
• South American Footballer of the Year: 1973
• FWA Tribute Award: 2018
• World Team of the 20th Century: 1998
Personal Life
Date of BirthOctober 23, 1940
Age (at the time of death)82 Years
BirthplaceTrês Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Date of Death29 December 2022
Place of DeathAlbert Einstein Israelite Hospital, São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil
Death CauseCancer [1]The Indian Express
Zodiac sign/Sun signLibra
Signature Pele's Signature
NationalityBrazilian
HometownTrês Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil
SchoolNot Known
College/UniversityDid Not Attend
Educational QualificationNot Known
ReligionChristianity
EthnicityAfro-Brazilian
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian
HobbiesFishing, Writing Songs, Cooking, Playing the Guitar
ControversyPele got a lot hatred from the Brazilians when before FIFA World Cup 2014, he said that corruption had nothing to do with World Cup and people should stop protesting for a better country. He even went on to say that Brazilians were ruining the World Cup.
Girls, Affairs & More
Marital StatusMarried
Affairs/GirlfriendsRosemeri Dos Reis Cholbi (1958-1966)
Anizia Machado (1963-1964)
Pele's ex-girlfriend Anizia Machado
Flavia Cavalcanti Rebelo (Model)
Pele with his ex-girlfriend Flavia Cavalcanti Rebelo
Lenita Kurtz (1968) Journalist
Pele with his ex-girlfriend Lenita Kurtz
Xuxa (1981-1986) TV Presenter
Pele with his ex-girlfriend Xuxa
Family
Wife/SpouseRosemeri Dos Reis Cholbi (1966–1982)
Pele with his first wife Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi
Assíria Lemos Seixas (1994–2008) Psychologist
Pele with his second wife Assiria Lemos Seixas
Marcia Aoki (2016-Present) Businesswoman
Pele with his third wife Marcia Aoki
ChildrenSons- Edinho (Professional Footballer)
Pele with his son Edinho
Joshua
Pele with his son Joshua
Daughters- Sandra Machado
Pele's daughter Sandra Machado
Kelly Cristina
Pele's daughter Kelly Cristina with his wife Rosemeri
Flávia Kurtz
Pele's daughter Flávia Kurtz
Celeste
Pele's daughter Celeste
ParentsFather- João Ramos (Professional Footballer)
Pele with his father
Mother- Dona Celeste (Actress)
Pele with his mother
SiblingsBrother- Zeca Nascimento (Professional Footballer)
Pele with his brother
Sister- Maria Lúcia Nascimento
Favorite Things
Favorite SportspersonMuhammad Ali
Favorite PlaceSantos, Brazil
Favorite FoodRice and beans
Style Quotient
Cars CollectionMercedes 1970, Mercedes-Benz W111, Red 1957 Porsche 356, Volkswagen
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)$100 Million (₹680 Crore)

Pele

Some Lesser Known Facts About Pele

  • Did Pele smoke?: No
  • Did Pele drink alcohol?: No
  • He was born to Dondinho and Dona Celeste Arantes. His father was a soccer player himself.
  • He was named after American inventor Thomas Edison.

    Pele's childhood photo

    Pele’s childhood photo

  • They were very poor and he had to work as a servant in a tea stall in his childhood.
  • He was nicknamed as “Dico”, but his friends started calling him Pele after his favourite footballer Vasco da Gama’s goalkeeper ‘Bile’, whom he mispronounced as ‘Pele’.

    Pele in his childhood

    Pele in his childhood

  • He learned the first kicks of soccer from his father and played for many amateur teams in his youth. With no money to buy a football, he used to stuff newspapers inside socks and play with that.
  • He joined Bauru Athletic Club juniors and led his team to three consecutive titles from 1954 to 1956.

    Pele in his childhood playing football

    Pele in his childhood playing football

  • He said in an interview that the indoor tournaments he used to play in his childhood helped him to take his game to another level. The indoor tournaments taught him to make quick decisions; as the pitches were small and the players were more.
  • Football star de Brito was impressed by his talents and took him to Santos in 1956, where he started his professional football career. He became a regular starter for the side in 1957.
  • He became the top scorer in the league in 1957. His consistent performances earned him a place in Brazil’s squad, and he played his first game for Brazil in July 1957 against Argentina.
  • In 1958, he scored 58 goals for Santos in Campeonato Paulista (a top-flight league in Brazil), a feat unmatched to date.

    Pele after a successful season in Campeonato Paulista

    Pele after a successful season in Campeonato Paulista

  • He scored 6 goals in 4 matches in the 1958 World Cup and eventually won the World Cup.

  • In the 1962 World Cup, his campaign was halted by an injury and he remained out of most of the tournament.
  • In 1964, he was involved in an affair with a housemaid, Anizia Machado who gave birth to Sandra Machado. Sandra fought for years to be acknowledged by Pele as his daughter, but he refused to submit his DNA. Although the court recognized her as his biological daughter based on the DNA evidence in 1993. Though Pele never acknowledged her as his daughter, even after her death in 2006.
  • On February 21, 1966, Pelé married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and had two daughters and a son with her.

    Pele getting married to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi

    Pele getting married to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi

  • The 1966 World Cup was a big failure; as he got injured and Brazil got knocked out in the first round.

    Pele injured in 1966 World Cup

    Pele injured in 1966 World Cup

  • In 1968, he had another extramarital affair with journalist Lenita Kurtz and had a daughter, Flávia, with her.
  • He scored his 1000th goal against Vasco da Gama from a penalty kick at the Maracana Stadium in 1969.
  • The 1970 World Cup was his last World Cup. Brazil won the World Cup, and he was named the ‘Player of the Tournament’.
  • He played his last international match against Yugoslavia on July 18, 1971, in Rio de Janeiro.
  • His 19th season in 1974 was his last season for the club Santos before retiring.

    Pele playing for Santos

    Pele playing for Santos

  • In 1976, he emerged from the semi-retirement by joining New York Cosmos.
  • In his last game on October 1, 1977 (an exhibition match between Cosmos and Santos), he played the first half for Cosmos and the second half for Santos. He scored from a direct free kick in the first half which turned out to be his last goal.
  • In 1982, Pele and his wife, Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi, divorced. Pele was then involved in a romantic relationship with a TV presenter Xuxa. She was just 17 at that time.
  • In 1992, he was appointed as a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment.
  • In April 1994, he married psychologist and gospel singer Assíria Lemos Seixas and had twins with her. The couple divorced in 2008.
  • In 1995, he was appointed as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
  • He was the Minister of Sport of Brazil from 1995 to 1998.
  • In 1997, he received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace. Pele
  • He was voted “Athlete of the Century” by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999.
  • In July 2016, he married Marcia Aoki, a Japanese-Brazilian importer of medical equipment from Penápolis, São Paulo.

    Pele married to Marcia Aoki

    Pele married to Marcia Aoki

  • He scored 1281 goals in 1363 games, the most by any player ever to play this game. He scored 92 hat-tricks, and scored four goals on 31 occasions, five on six occasions, and once scored eight in one match.

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