Pelé, Brazil

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (born October 23, 1940), best known as Pelé, is a famous Brazilian former soccer player. Nicknamed "The King of Football", he is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. In 1999, he was voted the Best Player of the 20th century by the IFFHS association. In the same year, he was named Athlete of the Century by the IOC and included in Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2013, he was awarded the Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur by FIFA.

Discovered at a very young age, Pelé started playing for Santos Futebol Clube at the age of 15, entered the national team at 16 and won his first World Cup at the age of 17. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Pelé is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches. At club level, he was Santos' top goalscorer, and led the team to Copa Libertadores championships in 1962 and 1963. Since retiring in 1977, Pelé has been a worldwide ambassador for football and has numerous acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was appointed President Emeritus of the New York Cosmos.

Full name: Edson Arantes do Nascimento
Date of birth: October 23, 1940
Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)

Playing positions: Forward, attacking midfielder