Pele

We all know an athlete that we say is the best in the world. Many of us have an opinion, but others base theirs on fact. But in the 1958 world cup in Sweden, a player, a "god", otherwise known as Pele set and left his mark on the world of soccer. The boy that grew up in a poor neighborhood and turned into a legend was born in the small village of Tres Coracoes, Brazil in 1940; Pele started playing soccer at a very young age. Growing up, Pele observed his father Joao Ramos do Nascimento, or "Dondinho," play soccer for hours, hoping that someday he would become a professional player himself. Pele went through hours and hours of practice trying to perfect his game; day and night he would constantly juggle, shoot, and pass the ball to a wall. He told his dad "what's this even going to do? I'm only passing a ball to a boring wall." His dad said "you'll see it may seem boring and helpless but you'll see" (pele) Pele's father was correct; all of his hard work paid off. In 1958 when he turned 17 he was already on the roster for the 1958 world cup in Sweden. This is where it all started.There Pele went scoring goals, with a 5-2 goal average, which was above the average of any professional player. Pele was a sensation prior to winning and won his first game of professional soccer against France. People would address Pele as the little boy with a big talent. Pele told others that he didn't go through lessons from club coaches; he learned from his dad with endless practice until it was his second nature. Pele didn't have all the money in the world to get the proper lessons to play soccer, he had to go through hard work and struggle to where he is today.

Pele was not only known for playing the game of soccer, he was also known as the man that changed UNICEF. He made constant donations and joined groups to support UNICEF. UNICEF was a sports group that would broadcast and talk about different sports; it was like a sports center. As Pele was setting his mark on the world for soccer, he had other things to do on his spare time besides play soccer. Others weren't really expecting Pele to donate, Pele said to interviewers that this is how he was raised and that helping others would end in a reward that you will never forget. Aside from UNICEF he served as an ambassador for ecology and environment in Brazil, Pele knew what he was doing was good, and after all the donations and the assistance in keeping UNICEF and serving as an ambassador paid off for Pele big time. He was a world sensation and every street, corner, and house you would go in, everybody would be talking about Pele and how much of a help he was to Brazil and the world.

As Pele was reaching an end he was considered as an inspiration to almost half of the pre seasoned athletes in the game of soccer. His talent and passion touched and changed hundreds of players and people. People knew that Pele was getting around well in soccer, and they thought he would play until he die, sadly Pele announced his retirement in 1974 he had already struck the hearts of thousands and knew he was never going to be forgotten. People in tears had to accept the fact that he was done for good. Later on during Pele's retirement the muddy grass and the beat up ball began to call to him. Pele couldn't resist, He came back to finish up by playing for the New York Cosmos as well as playing for Santos. Pele never played soccer in the United States, he was an international player. People thought the reason why Pele stopped playing for Brazil was because he didn't like it there anymore. He wanted a change, he said "if you were to do the same thing in the same place over and over again it would get boring. Right?" when he wrapped up his season in the United States it was officially time for his retirement. Apparently his first announcement was a joke. Pele was the only man known to score the most goals in soccer history, in one career he finished up his life with 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. Which was more and above average than an average soccer player. Pele was a god to soccer, and made the sport a big attraction all over the world; of course he will never be forgotten about what he has done to change the beautiful game. Pele may not be an actor or a superhero, he was an artist, an artist of soccer, he knew that he wanted soccer more than anything else. It was his passion and dream that has now been accomplished. Pele was a god to soccer, and made the sport a big attraction all over the world; of course he will never be forgotten about what happened about what he has done to change the beautiful game. Pele was an elite player and will stay at that name forever.

A Biography of Pele -- Latino Legends in Sports." A Biography of Pele -- Latino Legends in Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2013. Hillstrom, Laurie Collier. Pelé: Soccer Superstar. Detroit [Mich.: Lucent, 2008. Print. "Pele Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 10 May 2013. "Pele." Notable Sports Figures. Ed. Dana R. Barnes. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Biography In Context. Web. 2 May 2013.