His real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, named after light-bulb inventor Thomas Edison
At the age of 6, Pele was shining shoes and selling roasted peanuts outside movie theatres
His appearance caused a ceasefire in a civil war in 1967
When he signed his first professional contract with Santos in 1956, Pele was given just US$10 (S$13.40) a month as a 15-year-old
In 1995, Brazil’s president Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed Pele as Extraordinary Minister for Sport
In 1958, Pele scored six goals in four games to lead Brazil to their maiden World Cup victory
He was appointed as the United Nations’ goodwill ambassador for its children’s fund Unicef in 1994 and helped to protect the environment and fight corruption in Brazil
Despite his great achievements, Pele never won the famed world’s best player award
Pele holds the Guinness World Record for most career goals scored in football, at 1,279