Pele
Pele
Of the many great soccer players there are in the Unites States Hall of Fame, Pele would have to be one of the greatest. His immense achievements he’s made, his campaign to add awareness to the third world poverty around the world, and his rise to fame at an early age are the factors that contribute to his greatness.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born to Joao Ramos do Nascimento and Dona Celeste in a small town in Minas Grerais, Brazil. Very highly regarded as “The Greatest Soccer Player in the World”. (Parris 1) This great legend started playing when he was eight with a makeshift ball made by stuffing a large sock with a bunch of news paper. He and his friends made neighborhood tournaments. When he was fifth teen he was recruited by a local team in Santos, and at the age of 17 he was recruited by the national team and was chosen to play in the World Cup Tournament. Going from a small neighborhood tournament to the World Cup in a few years…. Dang! He made a lasting impression by scoring the winning goal against Sweden. After he finished his mandatory year service in the military, he came back to play around 1960. He toured around Europe playing against the most prestigious soccer clubs in Denmark, Italy, and Portugal. (Parris 3)
Right now Pele is rich and famous but this wasn’t always so. He was born in a world of poverty. His dad was a minor league soccer player. Talking about poverty, Pele said “Poverty is a curse that depresses the mind, drains the spirit, and poisons life. Poverty is being robbed of self respect and self reliance. Poverty is fear. Not fear of death, which although inevitable is reasonable. It is a fear of life.” (Fish 14-15) His team went for a tour around Africa to play their national team, and for him it was a life changing experience. Everywhere he went he was treated and looked upon as a god because he represented what a black man in a country where being black was looked upon a as curse. They admired him so much that
Of the many great soccer players there are in the Unites States Hall of Fame, Pele would have to be one of the greatest. His immense achievements he’s made, his campaign to add awareness to the third world poverty around the world, and his rise to fame at an early age are the factors that contribute to his greatness.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born to Joao Ramos do Nascimento and Dona Celeste in a small town in Minas Grerais, Brazil. Very highly regarded as “The Greatest Soccer Player in the World”. (Parris 1) This great legend started playing when he was eight with a makeshift ball made by stuffing a large sock with a bunch of news paper. He and his friends made neighborhood tournaments. When he was fifth teen he was recruited by a local team in Santos, and at the age of 17 he was recruited by the national team and was chosen to play in the World Cup Tournament. Going from a small neighborhood tournament to the World Cup in a few years…. Dang! He made a lasting impression by scoring the winning goal against Sweden. After he finished his mandatory year service in the military, he came back to play around 1960. He toured around Europe playing against the most prestigious soccer clubs in Denmark, Italy, and Portugal. (Parris 3)
Right now Pele is rich and famous but this wasn’t always so. He was born in a world of poverty. His dad was a minor league soccer player. Talking about poverty, Pele said “Poverty is a curse that depresses the mind, drains the spirit, and poisons life. Poverty is being robbed of self respect and self reliance. Poverty is fear. Not fear of death, which although inevitable is reasonable. It is a fear of life.” (Fish 14-15) His team went for a tour around Africa to play their national team, and for him it was a life changing experience. Everywhere he went he was treated and looked upon as a god because he represented what a black man in a country where being black was looked upon a as curse. They admired him so much that