Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on 23 October 1940, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is a retired footballer regarded as the greatest player of all time. According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, he is the most successful league scorer of all time, holding the Guinness World Record for most goals in a football career. The success he had playing professionally propelled him to his current net worth.
How rich is Pele? Sources inform us of a net worth that is at $100 million as of early 2016, mostly acquired through his highly successful football career. After his retirement, he went on to do ambassadorial work for various organizations. He’s released documentaries and autobiographies which have also helped raise his finances.
Pele Net Worth $100 Million
Pele is the son of Fluminese footballer Dondinho; the name Edson was taken from inventor Thomas Edison. The name Pele came from a mispronunciation of Vasco de Gama goalkeeper Bile, and the nickname stuck with him despite having no real meaning. Living in poverty, Pele was not able to afford his own football, but he was taught by his father while he served at local tea shops to help with money. He played for local clubs during his youth and helped all of his clubs to reach championships. He even dominated the indoor football competition, Futebol de Salao.
In 1956, Pele was brought to industrial port city Santos, where he would try out for the professional club Santos FC. During try-outs, he impressed the coach and was given a professional contract at the young age of 15. He was highly promoted by the local media as a future superstar, and even then some called him the “greatest football player in the world”. He made an impressive performance in his debut match and by the following year he was put in a starting position. He went on to become the league’s top scorer, and was called to play for the Brazilian National Team.
Santos would win their first major tournament in 1958 at the Campeonato Paulista, a tournament in which Pele scored a record 58 goals. They were not able to defend in the following year, but in 1960 Pele helped them regain the title. In 1961, along with a successful Paulista defence, the club would also go on to win the Taca Brasil thanks largely to Pele’s performance. This allowed Santos to participate in the prestigious Copa Libertadores. His most successful year was 1962, where Pele and his club would win the Campeonato Paulista, Brasiliero, and the 1962 International Cup.
Pele’s international career was marked especially by Brazil winning the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, with Pele outstanding in both, the first at the age of 18 which really brought him to fame around the world. After the 1962 World Cup, many international clubs opted to sign him but the government declared him an “official national treasure” so that no one could take him away. Although literally fouled-out of the 1966 World Cup, the Brazilians and Pele were again on top form in Mexico in 1970, and won for a third time, thereby getting to keep the Jules Rimet trophy permanently.
Pele continued to play at the top of his form, and Santos took advantage of that, travelling around the world. Pele had become so popular that a civil war in Nigeria even agreed to a ceasefire so that they could watch him play. He had developed a following thanks to his extraordinary play and spectacular goals. In 1974, at his 19th season, Pele decided to retire from Brasilian football, only playing from time to time in competitive matches. Way past his prime, he signed with the New York Cosmos and helped develop awareness for the sport. In 1977, an exhibition match was played between Pele’s two teams, with him playing for the Cosmos in the first half and then the Santos for the second half.
Pele was married in 1966, and had two children from that marriage. It eventually ended in divorce in 1982, and he was linked with model Xuxa from 1981 to 1986. In 1994, he married gospel singer Assiria Lemos Seixas and they had twins, but they divorced in 2008. Aside from these relationships, Pele also has two other children from former affairs. He is now married to Marcia Aoki.
Assíria Lemos Seixas (m. 1994 - 2008), Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi (m. 1966 - 1982), Marcia Aoki
Children
Edson Cholbi Nascimento, Joshua Nascimento, Sandra Regina Arantes do Nascimento, Jennifer Nascimento, Kelly Cristina Nascimento, Celeste Nascimento, Flávia Christina Kurtz Nascimento
FIFA 100 (2004), World Team of the 20th Century, South American Footballer of the Year,
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Quote
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They don't love the game, they don't love the team" - on players who bring football into disrepute
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I am constantly being asked about individuals. The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three star players.
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Fact
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(1997-) Sports Minister for Brazil
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His first name was given as Edison on his birth certificate, with a date of birth of October 21, 1940. However, Pelé has publicly claimed that he was born October 23, 1940, and the October 23 date is the most often journalistically cited date. Both Edison and Edson have been variously reported as his given first name.
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On August 1, 2010, it was publicly announced that Pelé was appointed Honorary President of the reincarnated New York Cosmos, who hoped to field a team in Major League Soccer for 2011 or 2012, but who instead will field their inaugural team in the second-tier North American Soccer League beginning with the 2013 season.
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In June 2006, Pelé appeared at the opening of the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, alongside supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
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Pelé produced an international advertising campaign to promote Viagra and raise worldwide awareness of erectile dysfunction on behalf of drug company Pfizer.
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In 1995, Pelé was awarded Brazil's Gold Medal for outstanding services to sport; Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed him to the position of "Extraordinary Minister for Sport." During his time as Minister for Sport, he proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football, which when passed, became known as the "Pelé law." Pelé left government in 2001 after being accused of involvement in a corruption scandal, although nothing was proven, and the charges were further denied by UNICEF. In 1997, Pelé was honored by Queen Elizabeth II as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 2005, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) bestowed their award for lifetime achievement on Pelé. In 2012, Pelé was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh for "significant contribution to humanitarian and environmental causes, as well as his sporting achievements," his first such honorary degree from a European university.
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Since his retirement from active professional football play, one of his most notable roles has been as an ambassador for the United Nations. Beginning in 1992, Pelé has served as a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. He was later appointed a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Goodwill Ambassador.
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His last professional playing appearance, which took place on October 1, 1977, was played in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In that match, most unusually, he wore the jerseys of, and played for, both teams. He wore the jersey of his then present team, the New York Cosmos (1975-1977), for the first half of the game, and his original team, Santos (Brazil, 1956-1974) for the second half of the game. At halftime, the Cosmos retired Pelé's number 10. Pelé presented the Cosmos retirement jersey to his father, who was escorted from the stands to the field by Cosmos Captain Werner Roth.
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Pelé had a variety of public nick names during and after his professional playing days. His most frequently cited nick name, both inside and outside of Brazil, was "The Black Pearl," but he was also referred to as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé), or simply "The King" (O Rei).
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In his native Brazil, Pelé continues to be hailed as a national hero, even though his retirement from professional play was in 1977 (over 35 years as of 2012). He is further known for his contributions to the game of football after his retirement, and is also acknowledged as an advocate for improving the the lot of the poor (after scoring his 1,000th goal, he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil).
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Pelé has been, and continues to be, regarded by many experts, players, and fans as the best player of all time, with numerous awards and proclamations supporting this. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). In the same year French weekly magazine France Football consulted their former Ballon D'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century, with Pelé coming in first place. He was selected "Athlete of the Century" by both the International Olympic Committee and the Reuters News Wire Service in 1999, and before that by French newspaper L'Équipe in 1981. For a brief period during his playing days, Pelé was the highest paid athlete in the world.
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Dutch artist Dick Brynestein made a drawing of him and called him Pietje Pele.
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Father, with 'Assíria', of twins named Joshua and Celeste.
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Brother of Maria Lúcia and Jair (called Zoca).
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Son of Celeste and João Ramos do Nascimento (died in 1996).
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Father, with journalist Lenita Kurtz, of Flávia Christina Kurtz.
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Had a daughter, with Anisia Machado, named Sandra Regina Machado do Nascimento (died of cancer in 2006). She was married to Oseás Felinto and had two sons named Otávio and Gabriel.
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Father, with Rosemary Cholbi, of a boy named Edson Cholbi Nascimento and two girls named Kelly Cristina and Jennifer.
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His jersey number, 10, has since been worn by many of soccer's top stars such as Ronaldinho Gaúcho, 'Zinedine Zidane' and Diego Maradona.
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During his professional career, he won two Intercontinental Cups and two Liberatadores Cups (both in 1962 and 1963) with Santos FC, his club from 1956 to 1974.
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Was named after Thomas A. Edison but was originally nicknamed "Dico" by his family.
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MMA legend Jose Landi-Jons was nicknamed "Pelé" after him. Landi-Jons never missed a Pelé soccer game and remembers every field action of his hero.
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Had a video game named after him back in the 1980s called "Pelé's Soccer".
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Over his entire career, he officially scored 1,284 goals in 1,363 matches. He played one game as a goalkeeper.
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Played for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League from 1975-1977.
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He is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970).
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Played in 92 matches for Brazil and scored a remarkable 77 goals.
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Known as "Pérola Negra" (The black pearl).
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Pelé is by most people recognized as the world's greatest footballer ever and was named "Footballer of the Century" in 2000. He combined skill with great flair and understanding of the game, and he was invaluable to Brazil's national team.