Pele

Pelé was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. He was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. He won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, the only player to do so and the youngest player to win a World Cup (17). He was nicknamed O Rei (The King) following the 1958 tournament. He scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which is a Guinness World Record. He played for Santos FC for 18 years, where he won 10 São Paulo state championships, six Brazilian championships, two Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups. He also played for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League, where he won one championship and helped popularize soccer in the United States. He retired from professional football in 1977, but remained active in sports and humanitarian causes. He was appointed a UNESCO goodwill ambassador in 1993 and a United Nations ambassador for ecology and the environment in 1994. He also served as Brazil's Minister of Sports from 1995 to 1998. He published several autobiographies, starred in documentary and semi-fictional films, and composed musical pieces, including the soundtrack for the film Pelé (1977). He was married three times and had seven children. He died on December 29, 2022, at Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer. He was 82 years old.