Pelé is carried off the pitch by fans after Brazil beat Italy in the 1970 World Cup final.
Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images
Updated 9:41 a.m. EST, Friday, December 30, 2022
By Kyle Almond and Will Lanzoni, CNN
Pelé, the Brazilian soccer star who became a global icon, has died at the age of 82.
Pelé, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is the only man in history to have won three World Cups.
He was just 17 when he took part in the 1958 World Cup, scoring two goals in the final against Sweden. He would go on to add titles in 1962 and 1970, delighting fans with his extraordinary dribbling skills and prolific goalscoring ability.
For much of his career, Pelé played professionally for Brazilian club Santos. In the final years before his retirement, he signed a multi-million dollar contract to play in the North American Soccer League, where he won a title with the New York Cosmos.
In 2000, FIFA named him Player of the Century along with Argentine great Diego Maradona. Many still consider him the greatest player of all time.
“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint,” Pelé said.
