Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known universally as Pelé, was born in Três Corações, Brazil, the son of a footballer who was forced to retire early due to injury. Growing up in poverty in Bauru, São Paulo, Pelé played football with a sock stuffed with rags instead of a proper ball. By 16, he was a professional; by 17, he was a World Cup winner.

Pelé's 1958 World Cup performance in Sweden remains one of the most astonishing individual performances in any sport. He scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against France and twice in the final against the host nation — the youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final. Brazil's 5-2 victory was celebrated by a nation that had spent years seeking this validation.

At Santos FC, Pelé won multiple South American club championships and famously led the team on world tours where games were sometimes paused in the middle of wars so opposing soldiers could watch him play. He scored over 1,000 goals in official matches — a figure almost incomprehensible to modern minds. His goals included volleys, headers, long-range drives, and free kicks of extraordinary variety.

Pelé won three World Cups — 1958, 1962, and 1970 — the only player in history to achieve this. The 1970 Brazil side is still considered by many to be the greatest international football team ever assembled. He died on December 29, 2022, having lived to see Lionel Messi finally win the World Cup at the Qatar 2022 tournament.