Pele: The Autobiography

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In 1957, when Pele was just 17 years old, he won his first major trophy as Santos claimed their first Campeonato Brasileiro title. This was the first of many successes that Pele would have with the club, and it laid the foundation for his illustrious career. StoryShot #3: A Domination of South American and Global Club Soccer Pele was also instrumental in helping Santos become one of the most popular clubs in Brazil and Latin America. He was a crowd favorite, and his charisma and energy on the field were unmatched. On top of that, he was incredibly efficient in front of goal; in 1966, he scored 66 goals in 60 games. It was a record that stood for many years until it was broken by former Santos player Neymar Jr. This book was fun to read and I really liked it. I really enjoyed this book because it was about a really good soccer player and I used to play soccer. This book was about how a little boys dream was to play soccer in the big leagues and become the best. When Pele was a boy he was very poor and he was from Brazil. He got better and better and he decided to try out for the world cup in 1958. His performance was amazing and he immediately went to the big leagues. He played professionally in Brazil for 2 decades and then he went to the New York Cosmos late in his career and finished with them. He won 3 world cups in his career and is arguably one of the best that ever lived. Of course Pelé went along for the ride. He was 17. What else was he going to do? What else did he know? As he matured into adulthood, he would discover that his life had already been built around him: a ceaseless treadmill of football and football and things around the football and more football. He would learn that he and he alone was the show (when he was injured for a while in 1962, Santos attendances dropped by 50%). And once the show moved on, he was essentially pensioned off and left to fend for himself. With such a great story to be told, there is no surprise that authors have raced to capture his life in books for us to cherish and learn from. This includes an autobiography, with the story coming directly from the footballing legend. Pelé: The Autobiography

But then, when you have lived as eventful and celebrated a life as Pelé has, memory becomes a vague and splintered thing. Pelé didn’t simply create his own lore out of thin air, even if for the most part he happily went along with it. He’s not sitting there on Wikipedia diligently amending his own goal record. Pelé buys wholeheartedly into his own myth because over 60 years the course of his life led him inexorably in that direction. And so, ultimately, perhaps what you remember is more often what you remember remembering, or what someone else remembered, a well-cut anecdote that you have spent more than half your life polishing before a succession of simpering interviewers. Perhaps over time the fact and the legend blend into each other, to the point where it is no longer meaningful to tell them apart. This isn’t about greats and frauds, truth and lies. It’s about the pressing urge of Pelé’s generation to exalt this one man above all others in what is essentially the history of a team game. At sixteen, he made his professional debut with the legendary Santos Football Club. He would stay with them for nearly two decades, becoming their all-time leading goalscorer and most successful player ever. It was during his time with Santos that Pele really began to make a name for himself, showing his incredible talents on the pitch and becoming an icon of the game. He won numerous awards and titles with Santos, including the Campeonato Paulista seven times and the prestigious Copa Libertadores twice. StoryShot #2: Pele’s Early Professional Career I now wish I had done this earlier. This is a fantastically enjoyable autobiography, in which Pele really takes you inside how it felt to win the World Cup in Sweden in 1958 aged just 17. Unlike other similar books, this doesn't focus on the way the success was achieved at the expense of what it meant. Edson Arantes do Nascimento has an amazing ability to recall his emotions and really take you inside his head. What makes it more charming is that he was very humble and is open and honest about how much it meant to him (winning it for his dad after promising him as a 10 year old in 1950 following the Maracanazo). In his autobiography, Pelé covers every aspect of his life, including his momentous years as a player, as well as the following chapters where he would pursue careers as a politician and sporting ambassador.

Where I don't think he should be criticised, and where he often has, is in his refusal to involve himself in politics, particularly the Brazilian dictatorship, and in race relations in terms of speaking on the subject of discrimination and racism. To me, it was clear Pele was not motivated nor overly interested in these things, did not adequately understand them and was not eloquent enough to communicate on the subjects in a useful way. He was a largely an uneducated boy from rural Brazil who seemed naive to the wide world in many ways. He also has the distinction of being the only player in the history of the game to win three World Cup winners medals. After his highly successful career, Pelé retired from the game in 1977. After retirement, he continued to be involved with football, serving as an ambassador for the sport and advising both FIFA and the Brazilian Football Confederation. In 1997, he was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He also founded the Pele Sports Academy, a football training school for young players. Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do." A Short Biography of Pelé Pele was one of Brazil’s most famous footballers and is considered one of the greatest players of all time. In 1957, he won his first major trophy as Santos claimed their first Campeonato Brasileiro title. Pele signed with Brazilian club Santos in 1956. During his time at the club, he won two Campeonato Paulista titles and one Copa Libertadores title.

As in most autobiographies, there are areas which one could question, including his infidelities, but he does come across in this book as human. And a lot of what he says is relatable. I found myself watching many world cup clips, especially from the 1970 World Cup. He was a great player. Pelé remains one of the most beloved and iconic sports figures in history, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. His legacy lives on through his academy and his incredible feats on the pitch. He has written multiple books about his life and continues to be an inspiration to young footballers around the world. Final Summary and Review If you are not a huge football fan, skip the book and watch the movie Pele: Birth of a Legend (2016) instead. Otherwise, be ready to read about countless games he played and goals he scored, which can be sometimes confusing. Pelé's eventual retirement in 1977 didn't slow him down! He was a Goodwill Ambassador with UNICEF, a United Nations ambassador for ecology and the environment, and Brazil's Extraordinary Minister for Sport.

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It was also great to get an insight into his endless commercial activity and endorsements and understand the underlying reasons, of a fear of being poor again and so many awful business dealings and ventures with untrustworthy individuals. Three quarters of this book is about Pele's time as a kid and his rise as a footballer culminating in his final game with the New York Cosmos, winning the Soccer Bowl title.