Pele was born in Três Corações, Brazil on Oct 23, 1940. His full name is Edson Arantes de Nascimento. He was the first child of João Ramos and Dona Celeste. Pele was named after Thomas Edison he moved with his family to the city of Bauru as a young boy. Joao Ramos, better known as “Dondinho” struggled to earn the living as a soccer player, and Pele grew up in poverty. Still he developed a rudimentary talent for soccer by kicking a rolled-up sock stuffed with rags around the streets of Bauru.
The origin of the nickname “Pele” is unclear though he recalled despising it when his friends started calling him that. As an adolescent Pele joined a youth squad coached by Waldemar de Brito. Pele signed with Santos and immediately started practicing
The origin of the nickname “Pele” is unclear though he recalled despising it when his friends started calling him that. As an adolescent Pele joined a youth squad coached by Waldemar de Brito. Pele signed with Santos and immediately started practicing