Soccer

Soccer great Pelé passed two years ago this month. Here’s why his legacy forever lives on

The Brazilian legend is known for as much as he did off the field as the magic he displayed while on it.

Mar 3, 2025 - 00:19
Mar 2, 2025 - 22:31
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Soccer great Pelé passed two years ago this month. Here’s why his legacy forever lives on

Two years ago this month, soccer lost arguably its greatest-ever player in Edson Arantes do Nascimento — better known worldwide simply as Pelé.

Pelé died on Dec. 29, 2022, at age 82, but left behind a legacy that served as the bridge between the sport’s growing popularity — specifically here in the United States — and the machine soccer has become as big name stars and even bigger television contracts to broadcast ‘The Beautiful Game’ (Pelé’s words, not ours) in nearly every nation, can pay homage to the impact Pele made on the game.

With that said, we took a look back at the four things you may not know about Pelé, and the reason why if you’re a soccer fan, it’s important never to forget.

He singlehandedly popularized the game in America

In 1975, Pelé decided to emerge from retirement following a 19-year career with Brazilian giants Santos to play for the famed New York Cosmos team in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. The NASL at the time, was the modern-day version of Major League Soccer, just with far less teams.

    583 games, 569 goals

    You read that correctly. In a club career that began in 1956 for a then 16-year-old kid from Tres Coracoes, Brazil, ended in 1974 with Pelé appearing in just shy of 600 games in a Santos uniform and scoring 569 goals, just shy of a goal a game over an 18-year career in Brazil.

    The Brazilian ranks No. 3 all-time in goals for both club and country (762), and is one of four players of Latin descent to list among the top 10 all-time (No. 2 Argentina’s Lionel Messi, 850; No. 4 Brazil’s Romario, 756; No. 5 Spanish-Hungarian Ferenc Puskas, 725).

    Pelé Of Cosmos Poses With A Trophy
    Pelé. then with the New York Cosmos poses with NASL trophy in 1977.
     Photo by 4Imagens/Getty Images

    Racked up the records

    On the international stage, Pelé was king for a Brazilian team known for its creativity, flair and artistry on the field. Led by Pelé’s 77 goals in 92 appearances for Brazil, the tiny nation won three FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970).

    Ready for Pelé’s accomplishments in that span?

    • In 1958, he became the youngest goalscorer in a World Cup, at the age of 17, scoring a hat trick in semifinal against France.
    • He became the youngest player to play in a World Cup final when Brazil took on Sweden, only to follow that up as the youngest player to score in a World Cup final when he scored the game winner to give Brazil its first of three world titles in 12 years
    • And he still holds the record for the most hat tricks in international soccer all-time with seven. In all for both club and country? 92.