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Pele's Birth- October 23, 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil
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Pele's father didn't make a lot of money, so growing up, he was very poor.
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Although he was poor, that didn't stop him from playing soccer. He would take a sock and put rags in it and roll it around the street.
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Pele joined a team caoched by a former member of Brazil's National Team.
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His team coach finally convinced his family to let him try out for the Santos Professional Soccer Club.
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He made the team and immediately started playing with them.
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He scored his first goal before he was 16.
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When he was 16, he was recruited to play for the Brazilian National Soccer Team.
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1958 World Cup in Sweden was when the World first saw him.
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He showed speed, skill, a good attitude, and athleticism, and this is where the World fell in love with him.
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Pele recieved huge amounts of money to play for European soccer leagues, but stuck with Santos.
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He had to sit out for Brazil's second straight title from a groin injury in the 1962 World Cup in Chile.
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Brutal attacks from defenders led him to sit out, and Brazil was knocked from the World Cup in the first round.
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The 1970 World Cup in Mexico was a great return for Pele after all his injuries in the other World Cups.
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Pele announced his retirement in 1974 but he was lured back to play for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League.
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This is when he played his last game and retired with 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.
