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Life & work

The player behind the career.

Biography and career records reviewed 23 Oct 2026.

Pelé helped define Brazil’s global football identity. FIFA records him as the only player to win three men’s World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970.

FIFA

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações, he rose through Santos as a teenager before playing for Brazil at 16. He died on 29 December 2022.

Premier LeagueFIFA
Full name
Edson Arantes do NascimentoPremier League
Born
23 October 1940 · Três Corações, BrazilPremier League
Died
29 December 2022FIFA
Position
ForwardFIFA
Men’s World Cup titles
3 · 1958, 1962, 1970FIFA
World Cup finals record
12 goals in 14 appearancesFIFA

Player profile

Pelé, in detail

Select a detail to see its source.
AI-generated full-body illustration of Pelé
PositionForward
FIFA profile Published profile · checked
AI illustration · not a body scan

Santos beginnings and a World Cup legacy

Pelé made his Santos debut at 15 and entered the Brazil team at 16. At the 1958 World Cup he scored twice in the final, placing a teenage forward at the centre of Brazil’s first title.

Premier League

His three winning campaigns are the clearest measure of his place in World Cup history. FIFA’s tournament statistics list 12 goals in 14 finals appearances; that is a World Cup figure, not a claim about all matches he played.

FIFAFIFA

Reading Pelé’s goals record

Career-wide Pelé goal totals often depend on whether exhibitions and friendlies are included. This profile uses FIFA’s explicitly scoped World Cup record so readers can compare like-for-like tournament figures.

FIFA

Santos and the American chapter

After Santos, Pelé played for the New York Cosmos from 1975 to 1977. That later chapter helped introduce his game to an American audience, extending a career already defined internationally by Brazil’s World Cup victories.

Premier League

Business & partnerships

The brands. The relationships.

Documented brand relationships for Pelé, with the context and dates supported by the sources.

PUMAHublot
Relationship details & sources 2

Relationships may include historical campaigns and businesses. Source dates describe the evidence and do not establish that a contract is active today.

Brand names and marks identify the cited organisations; they are not HowSociable sponsors or endorsements.

In pictures

Photographs with their original credits. Historical images do not imply a current appearance.

Pelé

Pelé

Unknown authorPublic domainResized and converted to WebP. Display crop.

The published record

Career milestones.

Dated selections from the published record.

  1. 1940-10-23

    Born in Brazil

    Born in Três Corações, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.

    Premier League
  2. 1958

    First World Cup title

    Scored six goals in the tournament, including two in the final, as Brazil won its first World Cup.

    Premier LeagueFIFA
  3. 1962

    Second title

    Was part of the Brazil squad that retained the World Cup in Chile.

    FIFA
  4. 1970

    Third World Cup title

    Won his third World Cup with Brazil in Mexico.

    FIFA
  5. 2022-12-29

    Death

    Died in São Paulo at the age of 82.

    FIFA

Quick answers

The questions,
answered.

Answers grounded in the sources below.

How many World Cups did Pelé win?

Pelé won three men’s World Cups with Brazil: 1958, 1962 and 1970. FIFA identifies him as the only player with three winning titles.

FIFA
How many World Cup goals did Pelé score?

FIFA records 12 goals across 14 World Cup finals appearances.

FIFA
What was Pelé’s real name?

His name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento. He was born in Três Corações on 23 October 1940.

Premier League

The source notes

Know what you’re looking at.

An independent HowSociable profile. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Pelé.

Freshness, without guesswork

Statistics retain their source observation dates. A page refresh does not make a historical chart, career record or commercial estimate newer. Figures without a usable source observation are not displayed.

What the data can tell you

Public counts do not measure unique people, audience authenticity, private reach or actual earnings. Associated brand accounts are labeled separately from personal accounts, and sampled engagement is limited to the posts in that sample.

Source directory

Editorial research reviewed · HowSociable

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