Pele is a legendary sporting figure and an iconic soccer player. He is widely regarded as the best player of all time by football fans, critics, experts and players. He is called the 'King of Football'. This legendary football player Pele was born on October 23, 1940, at Tres Coraçoes in Brazil. From his boyhood, Pele grew up in extreme poverty. Still, he developed his life by dint of his hard labour. It is said that, Pele developed his talent in playing football by kicking a rolled-up sock stuffed with rags around the streets. With his unique style, electrifying play and impressive performance, he scored a total of 1281 goals in 1363 games. In fact Pele possessed a deep knack for scoring spectacular goals that made him a star around the world. He was praised for his exceptional heading ability, powerful shot and unbowed goal scoring. At field, he used to give his hundred per cent to every single match. In his active years, he created numerous records, some of which till date remain undefeated. Other than his spectacular performance on the field, Pele is regarded as the ultimate humanitarian of the time. He had raised his voice to enhance the living standard and social conditions of the poor people. In 1978, Pele was awarded the “International Peace Award” for his work with UNICEF. He has also served as Brazil's Extraordinary Minister for Sport and a United Nations ambassador for ecology and the environment. But the ultimate goal of his life was football. He said:
“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michel Angelo was born to paint.”
—Pelé
