Inspire The Next

life story that keeps you going on in your life? What is the meaning of life? Does my life make sense? Edson Arantes do Nascimento popularly known as Pelé is considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time. Born on October 23, 1940, in Três Corações, Brazil. Pelé grew up in poverty in Bauru in the state of São Paulo. He earned extra money by working in tea shops as a servant. Taught to play by his father, he could not afford a proper football and usually played with either a sock stuffed with newspaper and tied with a string or a grapefruit. Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national football team at 16. The world was officially introduced to Pelé in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Displaying remarkable speed, athleticism and field vision, the 17-year-old erupted to score three goals in a 5-2 semifinal win over France, then netted two more in the finals, a 5-2 win over the host country. The young superstar received hefty offers to play for European clubs, and Brazilian President Jânio Quadros eventually had Pelé declared a national treasure, making it legally difficult for him to play in another country. During the 1960s, Nigeria was racked by a devastating civil war. But when soccer legend Pele and his team of Brazilian greats visited the country to play a match, both sides immediately agreed to a truce so they could watch the legend in action. The military even opened heavily guarded checkpoints so that people could make their way to the big game. The two sides quickly agreed to a 48-hour truce and soldiers from both sides reportedly attended the matches, some carrying chairs on their heads to cram extra seating into the stadium. Then 48 hours later they got right back to killing each other :(. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, being the only player ever to do so. 1969 Brazil stamp commemorating Pelé's landmark 1,000th goal Pelé is the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games He announced his retirement from soccer in 1974, but he was lured back to the field the following year to play for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League, and temporarily helped make the NASL a big attraction. He played his final game in an exhibition between New York and Santos in October 1977, competing for both sides, and retired with a total of 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award. That same year, Pelé was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. After his retirement, he was involved in many social service activities and in 1994, he was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. In 1995, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed Pelé to the position of Extraordinary Minister for Sport. During this time he proposed legislation to reduce corruption in Brazilian football, which became known as the "Pelé law." Below are some of the accolades he received during his football career. "Pelé is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20 years. All the others – , , – rank beneath him. There's no one to compare with Pelé."—West Germany's 1974 World Cup-winning captain "My name is Ronald Reagan, I'm the President of the United States of America. But you don't need to introduce yourself, because everyone knows who Pelé is."—US President , greeting Pelé at the . Brazilian attacking midfielder , who represented Brazil at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup, stated; "This debate about the player of the century is absurd. There's only one possible answer: Pelé. He's the greatest player of all time, and by some distance I might add" Presenting Pelé a lifetime achievement award, former South African president said; "To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full." Though his personal life was not as good as his professional life, I feel his achievement for the world of sport is an inspiration for each and everyone in this world.