Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on Oct. 23, 1940 at Tres Coracoes, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He was the son of soocer player Joao Ramos do Nascimento. Edson was named after the famous American inventer Thomas Edison. He did not receive the nickname Pele until he was in school. In 1956, Pele's mentor took him to Sao Paulo, to try out for the professional club, Santos. Pele was offered many professional terms. In his first league he became the top scorer at the age of sixteen.

Just ten months after that, he was called to play for the Brazilian national soccer team. In 1958, he became the youngest World Cup winner in Sweden at age seventeen. Pele played three more World Cups. But his third game became his last. In Mexico Pele was injured in what many thought was a dirty play. After his retirement from Brazilian soccer he still didn't quit. He came to the United States and played for the New York Cosmos. He played his last game on October 3, 1977.

What I will remember from Pele is his spectacular move, the bicycle kick. He scored more than 1,200 goals. Now he is the Minister of Sports in Brazil. The reason why I admire Pele so much is because, when I was a little girl, my dad used to watch Pele play and so did I. I used to love to see him do his bicycle kick. I wish I could play like him and someday I will. This is why Pele is my hero.