Pelé—Soccer’s First Global Icon And Brazilian Superstar—Dies At Age 82

“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. Love, love and love, forever,” read a post Thursday afternoon from Pelé’s social media accounts announcing the sporting legend’s death.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil, he was nicknamed “Pelé,” for his mispronunciation of Bilé, his favorite goalie and father’s teammate, and not what many believed was an old Gaelic term for what the rest of the world calls football, as he wrote in an article for The Guardian.

Though his father Joāo Ramos, known as “Dondinho,” was a soccer player, Pelé grew up in poverty as his father struggled to earn a living through the sport, yet that did not stop Pelé from practicing and eventually developing a natural talent for the game.

Under the tutelage of coach Waldemar de Brito, a former Brazilian national player, he further developed his game on the field with the Bauru Athletic Club juniors and, at 15 years old, with a push from de Brito, he would try out for Santos FC, one of Brazil’s top sports clubs, and make the team.

He quickly led the club in scoring and was recruited for Brazil’s national team, becoming the model for the superstar soccer player as European leagues sought to recruit him.

The Brazilian cemented his legacy early in his career at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, making his debut at the age of 17 and becoming the youngest player to participate in a World Cup final, which Brazil would win—Pelé also won the 1962 and 1970 World Cups, making him the only soccer player in the world to hold three titles.

FIFA named Pelé the player of the century on Dec 11, 2000, a title that he holds alongside Argentinian star Diego Maradona.

In 2015, Forbes ranked Pelé as the 10th-highest paid retired athlete from his $15 million in endorsement deals from companies such as Procter & Gamble, Volkswagen and Emirates Airlines.