Although many of those present failed to see him play to the fullest, the legend of Edson Arantes do Nascimento continues to mark millions of people today. Three-time world champion, hundreds of goals and an indisputable legacy have made the brazilian Be one of the best athletes of all time. However, little do they know the origin of his unique nickname as Pele.
Although he is currently in critical condition due to colon cancer, the ex attacker of Brazil It remains one of the hottest topics of discussion in the entire sports industry. And it is that, for many, “O’rei” is indisputably the greatest footballer in history, above cracks of the stature of Lionel MessiCristiano Ronaldo or Diego Maradona.
The Brazilian star is fighting aggressive colon cancer (Photo: Netflix)
But leaving Pelé’s football field aside, we want to talk about his unique nickname. For many, a form of marketing given his star status, for others, an endearing way of addressing himself in the field. What is the truth? Here at Trome we tell you.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NICKNAME “PELÉ”
It is very common that, in Brazil, land of samba and ballads, soccer players resort to changing their names and opting for nicknames: players like Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos Leite (known as “Kaka”) or Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (nicknamed as “Ronaldinho Gaucho”) are a clear example of this.
In this sense, there are two hypotheses that explain the origin of “Pele”, mainly because his name Edson was not his parents’ idea. According to the story, the real premise was to call the former footballer Edison, in honor of the famous Thomas Alva Edison.
Pele holds the World Cup Trophy on December 07, 1991 in New York, during a display of the World Cup and soccer photography and memorabilia, making his New York debut (Photo: Helayne Seidman/AFP)
Due to several incidents, the registration of the name never arrived and they only managed to register it as Edson. So far nothing peculiar, but it all started when he already gave his first touches with the ball.
His difference from the rest of his friends was even such that his friends placed him as a goalkeeper, and that is where they found a certain resemblance to Bilé, a renowned goalkeeper at that time in Brazil.
Edson Arantes Do Nascimento and Diego Armando Maradona are the greatest soccer legends in their country (Photo: Pelé / Instagram)
Over the years, the nickname was changed until it became “Pelé”, the biggest nickname in the history of the world of soccer. A very peculiar but significant start for the greatest star in the land of samba.
OTHER NICKNAMES OF PELÉ
Another nickname is “O’Rei”, where his quality as a world monarch is evidenced due to his world titles.
It was precisely in Sweden 1958 where he made his debut, was a scorer and managed to win the title with Brazil for the first time in history.
Pelé next to his son Edinho, when the latter worked at Santos (Photo: Edinho / Instagram)
After that, and due to the influence in that match, a French magazine called him “Le Roy”, which translated into Portuguese means “O’Rei”.
