Brazilian footballer Pele may be retired, but he’s still in the hearts of many all over the world. The iconic athlete had an amazing career and is widely regarded as the world’s best footballer of all time, but there are still some things about this amazing athlete that most people don’t know. Here, we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Pele. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Boosted NASL Attendance All By Himself. Just by the sake of his own presence in the United States, average attendance at the North American Soccer League (NASL) games was boosted by nearly 80 percent. In 1975, an average of 7,597 people were in attendance. However, by 1977, that number rose to 13,584.
Number Fourteen: He Has an Atari Game. In 1980, a game called Pele’s Soccer launched for Atari. People who had the game could maneuver the soccer player around using the original Atari joystick. What a dream!
Number Thirteen: He Has a Long-Standing Record. Pele has scored 77 international goals in 92 appearances. This is the most goals ever scored for the national team, and he has held this record for about 40 years.
Number Twelve: He Played His Last Game in Halves. While most people are aware that Pele played his last game on October 1, 1977, he actually switched teams during the game. Pele played the first half for Santos, and during the second half, he played for Cosmos. Because it was raining at the end of the game, people like to say that Even God was crying when Pele finished his career.
Number Eleven: He Could Not Afford a Soccer Ball as a Child. Rather than kick around a soccer ball as a kid, Pele had to improvise. He would stuff a sock with paper and kick that around, or he would kick grapefruits around if he had them.
Number Ten: He Has a Lot of Multi-Goal Games. Throughout his career, Pele scored 92 hat tricks, he scored four goals on 31 separate occasions, five goals on six occasions, and once he even scored eight goals! Most people came to assume Pele would score twice during most games.
Number Nine: He Has Done Something Nobody Else Has. Pele is the only footballer in the world who has been part of three teams to win the World Cup. Now that’s impressive.