PELE first made an impact on the World Cup by becoming the tournament’s youngest player in 1958.
The Brazilian was just 17 when he ran out in the famous yellow shirt. He also went down in history as the youngest to score at the finals when Brazil advanced to the quarter-finals.
At just 17 years and 239 days old, Pele netted the only goal against Wales to send his country into the semis to face France.
And there was even better to come against Les Bleus. With Brazil trailing 2-1 at half-time, the starlet netted a hat-trick as the Samba boys blazed back to win 5-2.
Brazil repeated the scoreline in the final against Sweden and Pele added two more strikes to his tally. He was overwhelmed at the final whistle and passed out briefly as emotion got the better of him.
Four years after the triumph, Pele began the next tournament in style with a solo goal to remember against Mexico.
Having already created his side’s opener, a breathtaking run took him past four players before netting the second.
Sadly for Brazil and football fans around the globe, Pele’s campaign was cut short by an injury picked up against Czechoslovakia. Even without their star man, Brazil went on to lift the World Cup for the second time.
When the World Cup arrived in England in 1966, it quickly became clear Pele was a marked man.
He netted a free-kick in a 2-0 opening win over Bulgaria but missed the second group game with Hungary to nurse his bruises.
The Hungarians won 3-1 and Portugal eliminated Pele and Co by kicking him all over the park resulting in the striker claiming he would never play World Cup football again.
Initially, Pele rejected calls for him to return to action in 1969, but he eventually relented and led Brazil to Mexico.
He scored against Czechoslovakia in a 4-1 victory and was in fine form as Brazil defeated reigning champions England 1-0.
Pele’s second goal of the 1970 tournament came against Romania in Brazil’s final group game.
He failed to score in the quarter-finals or semi-finals as Peru and Uruguay fell to the Brazilians.
But he returned to goalscoring form in the final, heading the opener as they defeated Italy 4-1 to lift the trophy for the third time.
Take a look at some of Pele’s best World Cup highlights by clicking on the graphic below.
Relive the greatest moments from World Cup history every night on ESPN Classic (Sky 429 and Virgin 533), including official World Cup films, classic matches, documentaries and player profiles. For World Cup programming details and more videos, visit:
World Cup legends: Pele
PELE first made an impact on the World Cup by becoming the tournament’s youngest player in 1958.
The Brazilian was just 17 when he ran out in the famous yellow shirt. He also went down in history as the youngest to score at the finals when Brazil advanced to the quarter-finals.
At just 17 years and 239 days old, Pele netted the only goal against Wales to send his country into the semis to face France.
And there was even better to come against Les Bleus. With Brazil trailing 2-1 at half-time, the starlet netted a hat-trick as the Samba boys blazed back to win 5-2.
Brazil repeated the scoreline in the final against Sweden and Pele added two more strikes to his tally. He was overwhelmed at the final whistle and passed out briefly as emotion got the better of him.
Four years after the triumph, Pele began the next tournament in style with a solo goal to remember against Mexico.
Having already created his side’s opener, a breathtaking run took him past four players before netting the second.
Sadly for Brazil and football fans around the globe, Pele’s campaign was cut short by an injury picked up against Czechoslovakia. Even without their star man, Brazil went on to lift the World Cup for the second time.
When the World Cup arrived in England in 1966, it quickly became clear Pele was a marked man.
He netted a free-kick in a 2-0 opening win over Bulgaria but missed the second group game with Hungary to nurse his bruises.
The Hungarians won 3-1 and Portugal eliminated Pele and Co by kicking him all over the park resulting in the striker claiming he would never play World Cup football again.
Initially, Pele rejected calls for him to return to action in 1969, but he eventually relented and led Brazil to Mexico.
He scored against Czechoslovakia in a 4-1 victory and was in fine form as Brazil defeated reigning champions England 1-0.
Pele’s second goal of the 1970 tournament came against Romania in Brazil’s final group game.
He failed to score in the quarter-finals or semi-finals as Peru and Uruguay fell to the Brazilians.
But he returned to goalscoring form in the final, heading the opener as they defeated Italy 4-1 to lift the trophy for the third time.
Take a look at some of Pele’s best World Cup highlights by clicking on the graphic below.
Relive the greatest moments from World Cup history every night on ESPN Classic (Sky 429 and Virgin 533), including official World Cup films, classic matches, documentaries and player profiles. For World Cup programming details and more videos, visit:
