Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was a Brazilian footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport history. He won three FIFA World Cups with the Brazilian national team, in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player ever to do so, and played the great majority of his club career with Santos FC in Brazil before a final spell with the New York Cosmos in the United States. He is often credited with over one thousand career goals, a figure he and Santos promoted, but the count is disputed among statisticians because it includes many non official friendly and exhibition matches; record keeping organizations that count only recognized first class matches credit him with a substantially lower total, closer to six hundred and fifty.
Facts
Career HighlightWon three FIFA World Cups with Brazil, in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player ever to do so. 1 Classification
Competition Category FAQs
How many goals did Pelé really score and why do the totals differ?
FIFA credits Pelé with 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches and Guinness with 1,279, but the totals include friendlies, and his count in official matches alone is considerably lower.
The totals differ because of what is counted. FIFA, the governing body of soccer, credits Pelé with 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches. Guinness World Records credits him with 1,279 goals in the same number of matches. Both figures sit above the famous mark of more than 1,000 goals, but many people dispute that count because Pelé included goals scored in friendlies and in matches against semi-professional or even amateur teams. If only goals in official matches are tallied, his mark was considerably lower, whichever source is used.
Connections
Associated With
Won three FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) with Brazil.
Competed In
Won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
Source FIFA, Official World Cup History Reference
Long-Form Articles
Plays
Source FIFA, Official World Cup History Reference
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Sources
1. FIFA, Official World Cup History Reference
Federation Internationale de Football AssociationWikipedia or cited reference, description lead (competition-category)
Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was a Brazilian footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport history.
- Plays: Association Football
- Competed In: FIFA World Cup
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica
France 24, Nobody disputes Pele's greatness but his number of goals is up for debate
IntroductionQuote, Introduction
FIFA The governing body of soccer gives Pelé 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches, two goals more than Guinness in the same number of matches.
Wikidata: Pele
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