STORIES
Sports
DONATE

Pele

by Marco from San Diego

Peles bycicle kick (
Peles bycicle kick (

The man who took the world’s most popular sport to new levels, Pele, also called “The Black Pearl”, showed the world an undiscovered level of soccer. He is recognized worldwide as the best player in the game. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, “Pele”, was born away from the coast towards inland Brazil , in the impoverished town of Tres Coracoes. Nicknamed Dico by his family, he was called Pele on the soccer field. Dico was just another talented boy who played soccer until he was discovered at the age of eleven by one of the country's premier players, Waldemar de Brito. Four years later, De Brito brought Pele to Sao Paulo and declared to the soccer team directors who had little trust in the boy, "This boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world." (Time. the phenomenon) He was quickly a legend. By next season, he was max striker in his league. Heroes are on their own, but they become legend when they enable the lives and touch the hearts of all. For those who love soccer Pele, born with the name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is a hero.

Through his pure talent for soccer, Pele’s name became known to the world. His early years as a player would give him the best career in history. “Having made his first appearance in the prestigious World Cup championship competition at the age of seventeen, the record-breaking inside left forward thrilled the sports world with his on-field agility throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He repeatedly led his national team to victory in international championships, wowing audiences with his near-impossible plays and his uncanny ability to anticipate the moves of his opponents. At one time the highest-paid athlete in the world, he ended his soccer career in 1977 with 1,280 goals.” (U*X*L Biographies). The youngest player in a FIFA world cup and leading his team to victory made him an immediate idol in Brazil and throughout the world. Being a hero means representing and defending other people, which was what Pele did in every game he played for the Brazilian National team. What locked Pele down as the best player in the world were his records and method of play. “While he played, Brazil won the World Cup, staged quadrennially, three times in twelve years. He scored five goals in a game six times, four goals 30 times and three goals 90 times. And he did so not aloofly or disdainfully--as do many modern stars--but with an infectious joy that caused even the teams over which he triumphed to share in his pleasure, for it is no disgrace to be defeated by a phenomenon defying emulation.” (Time. the phenomenon). Pele basically made Brazil, the best country at what their people love and live to do, soccer, president Janio Quadros named him a national treasure in 1961 as appreciation for him. He had become a hero to the Brazilian people and to professional soccer. In South America, soccer is not only a game or a sport, it’s a way of life and watching your national team win a world cup brings the whole country together in celebration, this makes Pele not only a hero, but a legend winning three in a row.

A hero is not only talented but shows a great heart to help those in need and tries to make the best out of things. Pele has also continued to work for children's causes, and for UNICEF. He has expressed interest in starting a school for children in Brazil, where he would like to coach. "Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pelé," he said in Sports Illustrated. "I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man." To grow as a player, first you have to grow as a person, and Pele knows that very well and helps build values such as friendship, hard work and teaches that game time is not everything to live for even though situations may enable you to think otherwise. A recent problem in the world is the contamination we produce and Pele joined the cause. “He has been an active participant in activities of the United Nations, including UNICEF and U.N. environmental initiatives. The honors he has received include an honorary British Knighthood in 1992 and recognition as Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999” (Lee Lerner). Pele doesn’t only focus on soccer, but on world problems that need solving and supporting. A great person, with a great heart and a great talent, who helps others, may be considered a hero.

Heroes are on their own, but they become legend when they enable the lives and touch the hearts of all. For those who love soccer Pele, born with the name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is a hero. The one who brought happiness, glory, and recognition to his country, Pele was an idol inside and outside the soccer field. He has been known to stop war: both sides in Nigeria's civil war called a 48-hour cease-fire in 1967 so Pele could play an exhibition match in the capital of Lagos. When you are a soccer player, if you take it seriously all you want to do, dream of, is to play professionally in your favorite club or even national team, and Pele was able to do all that better that anyone and built a career, reputation and a life with what we love to do most, play soccer.

Works Consulted

"Pelé." U*X*L Biographies. Detroit: U*X*L, 2003. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 2 May. 2011.

"Pelé." DISCovering Biography. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 2 May. 2011.

"PELE: The Phenomenon - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 06 May 2011.

"Pelé." World of Sports Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol. 2. Detroit:Gale, 2007. 528-529. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 May 2011.

"Google Images." Google. Web. 19 May 2011. .

Page created on 5/24/2011 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/24/2011 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.