The rare talent of Pelé as a boy, however, does not pass unnoticed by Brito, a former great Brazilian player, who was one of his first coaches. In 1954 (aged 14) he starts playing with Bauru Athletic Club juniors of São Paulo. At the age of 16, in spite of a serious knee injury that nearly compromises his career, he moves to Santos, the club he will not abandon till 1974. For this reason he turns down all the huge offers made to him to transfer to Europe.
The Brazilian genius played 4 World Championships (1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970) and won three of them (!), he scored 1,283 goals in his career, 12 of them in the World Championships finals, besides, he won many other titles. However, the legend of Pelé goes beyond statistics, because the symbol of Santos FC is the most famous representative of an extraordinary period in Brazilian football. During that period it came up the definition “football played to the samba beat”, which also today means playing football in a spectacular and technical way that is also very effective and seems to be an exclusive quality of the “verdeoro” country.

Pelé was quick, strong, his shots were lethal, he made the ball do what he wanted it to do and every time he got the ball the supporters expected him to do something “fantastic”. Pelé is the symbol of Brazilian football: he never gives in during the game, and always tries to get and play the ball and to attack. Most of all Pelé is the man of the three World Cups won. In 1958 in Sweden at the very young age of 18 he gets on the international stage to replace José Altafini (who had been injured during the tournament), and scores even two goals against the Swedish team (by the end of the tournament the goals scored by the 18-year-old Pelé are 6).

In 1962 he is the world champion once again with his selection, but his contribution is limited by an injury which prevens him from playing the last matches, including the final. However, it is certainly the World Cup in 1970 the one that consecrated his legend. Pelé gets to that World championship while going through, what the press called, a crisis, the way down of his career. The Brazilian selection in the 1970 World Cup was the one where 5 fantastic numbers 10 played together in the same line-up (Pelé, Gérson, Jairzinho, Tostão, Rivelino), considered by many the strongest one in football history. They win the final by 4 to 1 against Italy (that lined up football stars such as Riva and Mazzola), and Pelé scores also this time.
His spell in the USA championship in the last years of his career after his farewell to Santos (1974) is above all a way to promote football in a country like the USA, that have never liked it too much.

Today Pelé is still an icon of football renowned all over the world.