23 October,2014 07:00 AM IST | | A Correspondent
The Brazilian legend of football celebrates his birthday today. On this day, we bring to you some of the most interesting facts and trivia about the one and only - Pele
Pele
The Brazilian legend of football celebrates his birthday today. On this day, we bring to you some of the most interesting facts and trivia about the one and only - Pele.
Pele. Pic/ AFP
Pele's full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
Originally nicknamed âDico', the Brazilian is also known by the nickname âPerola Negra' which means âThe Black Pearl'.
He has played for Brazil in 92 matches and has scored a remarkable 77 goals.
He has won the FIFA World Cup title three times (1958, 1962 and 1970) and is the only player in the world to do so.
He has officially scored 1,284 goals in his 1,363 matches throughout his career.
Pele has also played as a goalkeeper in one game.
Was named after Thomas A. Edison but was originally nicknamed "Dico" by his family.
During his football career, Pele has won two Intercontinental Cups and Liberatadores Cups each (both in 1962 and 1963) with Brazilian club Santos FC, his first.
Pele dedicated his 1,000th goal to all of the poor children in Brazil.
He was awarded Brazil's Gold Medal for his remarkable services in football
In 1992, Pele was appointed as a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. He was later appointed a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Goodwill Ambassador.
Although his birth certificate states his first name as Edison and date of birth as October 21, 1940, Pele publicly claims that he was born Oct 23, 1940.
