About Us
Welcome to The Beautiful Game
Pelé, the man.
Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940, in Três Corações, a town 200 miles away from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The son of a soccer player, he was born with a love of the game; it was in his blood.
When Pelé saw his father crying after Brazil lost the 1950 FIFA World Cup to Uruguay, he told him, "Don't worry. One day I'll win it."
Growing up in relative poverty, he and his friends dubbed themselves 'The Shoeless Ones', and dribbled with a rolled up sock stuffed with rags around the backstreets of Baura. Early signs of his genius emerged, and he was noticed by soccer great Waldemar de Brito, who began to train him.
Over the course of his illustrious professional career and his unparalleled achievements in World Cups, Pelé still maintains that possibly his proudest moment was when he was a 12-year-old and signed to play with local junior club Baquinho. It was the first time he got his own uniform and finally saw himself as a soccer player, just like his father.
A legend is born.
While he achieved recognition at the local level playing football in Brazil, the world was officially introduced to Pelé at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Showing remarkable speed, control and vision, the 17-year-old scored three goals in a 5-2 semifinal win over France, then netted two more in the finals, cementing a win over the host country.
The Beautiful Game.
It is not just the incredible number of goals he scored, but it is how he scored them. Known for his electrifying gameplay and mesmerizing showmanship on the field, Pelé's play style was very much part of his popularity and ascendancy to global sports icon.
Substance and style.
Known for his ability to anticipate opponents, he could finish with an accurate and powerful shot with either foot. His excellent technique, balance, flair, agility, and dribbling skills enabled him to beat opponents with the ball, and frequently saw him use sudden changes of direction and elaborate feints in order to get past players, such as his trademark move, the drible da vaca. Another one of his signature moves was the paradinha or little stop.
Pelé was also a hard-working team-player, with exceptional vision and intelligence, who was recognized for his precise passing, and ability to link up with teammates and provide them with assists.
Club career.
1n 1956, Pelé professionally signed with Santos FC at the age of 15, going on to play with them for 19 years, leading the team to win the Copa Libertadores in 1962 and 1963, and retiring as their highest goal scorer of all-time.
Coming to America.
Pelé came out of retirement in 1976 to play for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (NASL), helping raise the popularity of a then not so played game in the United States of America.
Pelé Soccer, the brand.
Vision.
To create a better world through our actions, and inspire people to do the same.
Values.
Discipline.
At the cornerstone of our values stands discipline - making something look easy takes a lot of hard work.
The value of hard work was something instilled in Pelé by his father at a young age. He recalls his father telling him to never think he was better than others, or that he was the best, because there is always room to improve.
"Everything is practice." Pelé
Optimisim.
While we believe that discipline can make you good, it is only when it is complemented by optimism that you can be great. Finding joy in hard work, challenge, victory and even in the smaller things in life is the lighter side of our credo.
"Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing." Pelé
Respect.
To triumph, you must pay respect. Respect your teammates, respect your opponents, respect luck, respect victory - you must even respect defeat. If you don't respect anything, no one will respect you.
Pelé's choices in life have been guided by respect. Which teams he chose to play for, and which brands he signed up with. He has strived through his actions to be not just a good soccer player, but also a good person - his biggest hope is that he will always continue to be a role-model for youth.
"The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three star players." Pelé
Promise.
Happiness guaranteed. Our #1 priority here at Pelé Soccer is your happiness. If you have a problem, we will solve it. Whatever it takes. Just reach out to us at help@pelesoccer.com. We're here for you. Happiness. Guaranteed.
