Edson Arantes do Nascimento

No one ever knows what the future holds or how their life is going to be at the moment he or she is born. Not everybody is born into families that buy the most expensive clothes or shoes, or even have their own bed, let alone a big marvelous house. Many people say that you always need money to have a better life to achieve what you want in your career. You don't have to always have money to become famous or become a legend.

What is a legend? It's "a traditional story or tale that has no proven factual basis." Edson Arantes do Nascimento is one the best soccer players in history and one the highest-paid athletes, and is still a legend even though he is no longer active in his career. He is, in actuality, a real legend.

Do you have a hero that you deeply admire? Is he or she a true hero? Edson really is one of those true heroes that did everything for himself and didn't depend on anyone [to achieve his goals].

"Pele" (nickname) was born October 23, 1940 to a poor family in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. Even though he was very poor and really didn't have a chance of being and becoming someone important in life because of his living condition, but he still did. He learned the game from his father, Donhindo, who was a decent forward until his career was halted by a fractured leg. Pele began playing soccer for a local minor-league club when he was teenager. When he wasn't playing soccer he was shinning shoes for pennies. Many peole usually get discovered by their twenties but Pele was an exception; he was discovered at the age 11. What was the most incredible and amazing thing was that he discovered by one the country's premier players, Waldemar de Brito. When Mr. Brito brought Pele to a Sao Paulo, he declared to the disbelieving directors of the professional team in Santos, "This boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world." Many people say things that don't really mean anything to them and are saying it just to say it, but he really did mean it.

He made his debut with the Santos Football Club in 1956. If Pele wouldn't have been on the team, the team wouldn't have beat as many South American clubs as they did. He wasn't just famous for one game or for his feats at a certain age. Pele is known for all that he accomplished throughout his entire career. Mr. Nascimento went on to play in four World Cups for Brazil's national team. Even though Pele almost missed the games because his knee injury, he amazed the world scoring six goals, which included two during the championships, to help Brazil win their first World Cup, over Sweden in 1958. You may think he was in his twenties when this happened; but guess what? He was ony 17 years old! He was still a teenager, just a year away from becoming an adult!

Many clubs wanted Pele, even the wealthy European clubs which offered massive fees to sign him, but the Brazilian government declared Pele an official "national treasure" to prevent him from being transferred out of the country. When Pele was 29 years old, during his third World Cup, he scored a 'special' goal, of the four goals that made them win against Italy. "I have a special feeling for that goal because I scored it with my head," he said. "My father was a soccer player and once scored five goals in a game, all with his head. That was one record I was never able to break."

Pele is not only known as the best player, but for the record he has: scored 1,280 goals in 1,360 games and scored an average of one goal in every international game he played. Pele also holds the world record for hat tricks (92) and the number of goals scored on an international level (97). There are many great players nowadays, but he still cannot be compared to any of them; he is unique amongst all soccer players.

After everyone thought that Pele had retired in 1974, it did not really happen. He came back to play in the North American Soccer League for the New York Cosmos for just two seasons. It made millions of Americans aware of the sport that he referred to as the "beautiful game." You may think that he accepted to play because of the money; but no, it was to "make soccer truly popular in the United States." Pele achieved what he wanted: soccer is very popular in the U.S. and in many other countries. Many important people know Pele, such as Muhammad Ali who said of himself and Pele: "Now there are two of the greatest." Brazil's ambassador said of Pele: "He spent 22 yrs playing soccer, and in that time he has done more for goodwill and friendship than all of the ambassadors ever appointed."

After Pele's retirement, he continued to garner awards. He was the 1978 recipient of the International Peace Award, in 1980 he was named Athlete of the Century, in 1993 was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, he is the former ambassador of sports in Brazil, he was appointed the sports minister in the Brazilian cabinet in 1994, he recieved the honorary British Knighthood in 1997, and finally in 2000 he placed second for the "Sportsman of thr Century" award.

Pele is an exception amongst men; "he was an average-sized man,he was blessed with speed, great balance,tremendous vision, the ability to control the ball superly, the ability to shooot powerfully and accurately with either foot and with his head, and [to] play in any position on the field." Pele, besides being considered a legend, a "king," etc... was most importantly a hero that no matter what, will always be remembered. Despite being poor and not having "connections," he accomplished and achieved many goals that he wanted to, and even some others that he never thought he would have ever achieved. Remember that if Pele did everything that he wanted, even though he had several obstacles along the way, so can you, and so can everyone else that wants something with all their heart.