A biography of Pele, the Brazilian soccer star who has achieved international notoriety because of his athletic achievements.

A biography of Pele, the Brazilian soccer star who has achieved international notoriety because of his athletic achievements.

A biography of Brazil's Pelé who is widely thought to be the greatest soccer player in the world.

During his soccer career, superstar forward Pelé won three FIFA World Cup titles and became the all-time leading scorer for Brazil. Find out more about his record-breaking achievements and lasting legacy in this biography.

HOW DID A POOR BOY named Edson—who kicked rocks down roads and dribbled balls made from rags—go on to become Pelé, the greatest soccer player of all time? While other kids memorized letters, Edson memorized the scores of soccer matches. And when Edson finally played in a youth soccer tournament in the town of Bauru, Brazil, he focused on only one thing from the moment the whistle blew: the goal. Here is the picture book biography of the boy who overcame tremendous odds to become the world champion soccer star Pelé.

This title introduces Pelé who has had a great influence on his sport and in his society. Career highlights, battles along the way, and humanitarian contributions are discussed. Pelé's legacy is told through informative sidebars, captivating photos, and engaging text. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Pelé—legendary footballer and humanitarian—explores the sport’s recent history and shares his most inspiring experiences, heartwarming stories, and hard-won wisdom. “I know in my heart that soccer was good to me, and great to the world....I saw, time and again, how the sport improved countless millions of lives, both on and off the field. For me, at least, that’s why soccer matters.” The world’s most popular sport goes by many names—soccer, football, the beautiful game—but fans have always agreed on one thing: The greatest player of all time was Pelé. Before Messi, before Ronaldo, before Beckham, Pelé had a stunning twenty-year career, where he was heralded as an international treasure. His accomplishments on the field proved to be pure magic: an unprecedented three World Cup championships and the all-time scoring record, with 1,283 goals. Since retiring, he has traveled the world as soccer’s global ambassador, relentlessly promoting the positive ways soccer can transform young men and women, struggling communities, even entire nations. This is Pelé’s legacy, his way of passing on everything he’s learned and inspiring a new generation. In Why Soccer Matters, Pelé details his ambitious goals for the future of the sport and, by extension, the world.