"It seems that God brought me to Earth with a mission to play soccer," Edson Arantes Do Nascimento (Pelé).
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Born Edson Arantes Do Nascimento (better known as Pelé) is known as a legend and the best soccer player to ever play the game. He was raised in a very poor family in Tres Coracos, Brazil and his parents, Dondinho and Celeste Nascimento called Edson "Dico," growing up.
He first learned the game of soccer from his father, Dondinho, who was a decent center forward until his career was halted by a fractured leg.
Pelé began playing soccer for a local minor-league club when he was a teenager. When he wasn't playing soccer he shined shoes for pennies. He was discovered at the age of 11 by one of the country's premier players, Waldemar de Brito. When Brito brought Pelé to Sao Paulo he declared to the disbelieving directors of the professional team in Santos, "This boy will be the greatest soccer player in the world."
He was right! Pelé's impact was immediate! On his first appearance for the team, against Corinthians F.C., he scored a goal right away. He was only 16.
Pelé went on to play in four World Cups with Brazil's National Team. At the 1958 World Cup in Sweden -- one he nearly missed because of a knee injury -- Pelé stunned the world scoring six goals, including two in the championship game to help Brazil win its first World Cup 5-2 over Sweden. He was only 17 years-old, but a legend was born.
An average-sized man, he was blessed with speed, great balance, tremendous vision, the ability to control the ball superbly, and the ability to shoot powerfully and accurately with either foot and with his head.
Four years later he played on Brazil's World Cup team at in the finals in Chile, but an injury suffered in the first game of the tournament prevented him from helping Brazil win its second title.
Wealthy European clubs offered massive fees to sign the young player, but the government of Brazil declared Pelé an official national treasure to prevent him from being transferred out of the country.
At the 1966 World Cup in England, Pelé was the victim of some brutal tackles from Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders and left the finals injured and in tears. But the best of Pelé was still to come.
At the 1970 finals in Mexico, the 29-year-old Pelé, led one of the greatest teams ever assembled to win Brazil's third World Cup. In the 4-1 title triumph over Italy, Pelé, scored a glorious goal. It was Brazil's 100th World Cup goal, and the one he remembers the most.
"I have a special feeling for that goal because I scored it with my head," he said. "My father was a soccer player and once scored five goals in a game, all with his head. That was one record I was never able to break."
Pelé's statistics are staggering. During his career he scored 1,280 goals in 1,360 games, second only to another Brazilian, Arthur Friedenreich, who recorded 1,329 goals. He scored an average of a goal in every international game he played--the equivalent of a baseball player's hitting a home run in every World Series game over 15 years.
At the club level he shattered records in Brazil. He scored 127 goals for Santos F.C. in 1959, 110 in 1961 and 101 goals in 1965, and led the club to two World Club championships.
Pelé also holds the world record for hat tricks (92) and the number of goals scored on the international level (97). His statistics are all the more amazing when compared to today's top players who can barely score more that 30 goals in a season.
He retired from the game in 1974, but came out of retirement the following year to play in the North American Soccer League for the New York Cosmos for just over two seasons. A reported 7-million-dollar contract for three years made him the highest paid soccer player of the North American Soccer League.
His appearance in the NASL gave the American League instant credibility and made millions of Americans aware of the sport, he dubbed the "beautiful game." He said he came out of retirement, not for the money, but to "make soccer truly popular in the United States."
During his career he played in 93 full internationals for Brazil and in all first class matches scored a remarkable 1,280 goals, second only to Artur Friedenreich, another Brazilian, who holds the world record with 1,329.
In many ways, Pelé was the complete athlete. With his skill and agility, he could have played in any position on the field, but he chose on wearing the number-10 shirt as an inside-left forward. He had great balance, which enabled him to dribble effortlessly around defenders, and his heading ability was remarkable.
On Oct. 1, 1977, Pelé's mission in the NASL ended. His last match, an exhibition game between the Cosmos and Santos, was sold out six weeks beforehand, covered by 650 journalists and broadcast in 38 nations.
Muhammad Ali embraced him in the locker room before the match and said, "Now there are two of the greatest." In a speech to dignitaries, celebrities and more than 75,000 fans, Pelé urged his audience to pay attention to the children of the world. At his request, the assemblage shouted, "Love! Love! Love!"
Then he went out and played the first half for the Cosmos -- scoring a goal on a rocket from 30 yards out -- and the second half for Santos.
On Pelé's retirement, J.B. Pinheiro, Brazil's ambassador to the U.N., said Pelé had "spent 22 years playing soccer, and in that time he has done more for goodwill and friendship than all of the ambassadors ever appointed."
In addition to his great accomplishments in soccer, he published several best-selling autobiographies, starred in several documentary and semi-documentary films, and composed numerous musical pieces, including the entire sound track for the film 'Pelé' (1977). He was the 1978 recipient of the International Peace Award, and in 1980 he was named athlete of the century.
In 1993, Pelé was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame and is the former ambassador of sports in Brazil. He has also done extensive work for children's causes through UNICEF.
In 2000, Pelé was named second for the "Sportsman of the Century" award. The legendary Muhammad Ali got the honors
England's teenage star is the hottest prospect in the Premiership. The richly promising striker or playmaker announced his arrival to the world with his spectacular winner against Arsenal in October 2002, which also made him the youngest goalscorer in FA Premier League history - until he was surpassed by James Milner of Leeds. His reputation was enhanced by a trio of dazzling performances at Euro 2004 - before early injury and defeat against Portugal.
BIOGRAPHY
Wonder boy Wayne Rooney is the name on everybody's lips as Roo-mania sweeps across the country. At the tender age of 16, Rooney announced himself to the Premiership as a top prospect - scoring a seamless goal against Arsenal to earn his first victory for Everton in the last minute of the game.
Wayne Rooney is a born and bred Liverpudlian. The son of a working-class family, he grew up in the suburb of Croxteth. Brought up in a three-bedroom council house with his parents, Jeanette and Wayne, and his younger brothers, Graham and John, young Wayne had not much more than the dreams of every other little boy in his town. His mum Jeanette was a dinner lady at a local school. The family have always been Everton-mad, and Rooney's old bedroom window, which was visible from the street, was filled with Everton pennants.
Rooney was the talk of the town well before his international success. He was only nine when he was spotted by Everton scout Bob Pendleton playing for boys' club Copplehouse in the local Walton and Kirkdale Junior League. In his last season with them he scored 99 goals before joining the Everton academy. His progress was so swift that he was playing for the Under-19s side when still only 15.
His life now is very different, though his superstardom doesn't look like it's gone to his head, he still looks like the boy next door, and if you passed him on the street you wouldn't look twice, he certainly doesn't carry the glamour of Beckham, but who cares? As long as he keeps scoring the goals, he's a national hero.
Wayne Rooney is the top goal scorer in Euro 2004, and has been describes by England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson as the greatest teenage talent to emerge at a soccer tournament since Pele at the 1958 World Cup. Still at only 18 his career has just started, Liverpool-born Ronney is a boy that everyone wants to be.
Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United on Tuesday, 31 August 2004 despite a last minute holdup caused by his broken foot. Manchester United finalized the deal to acquire the 18-year-old striker from Everton at the transfer deadline date. The six-year deal is worth $48.3 million; with agent fees, the total soars to $54 million. "It was a tough decision to leave Everton, the club I've supported and played for all my life, but I'm excited to be joining a club as big as Manchester United," Rooney said in a statement released by his new team. "I feel this can only improve my career, playing with top players in top competitions like the Champions League and I can't wait to meet up with the team."
Profile
NAME Wayne Rooney
BIRTHDAY 24/10/1985
BIRTH CITY Liverpool, UK
HEIGHT 178 cm
WEIGHT 78 Kg
CLUB Everton
POSITION Striker
NUMBER 18
PREMIERSHIP DEBUT 17/08/2002 Tottenham
FIRST PREMIERSHIP GOAL 19/10/2002 Arsenal
ENGLAND DEBUT 12/02/2003 Australia
FIRST ENGLAND GOAL 06/09/2003 Macedonia
DID YOU KNOW? Rooney was the Everton mascot at a Merseyside derby in 1996/97
Cristiano Ronaldo had a head-to-head clash with Emanuel Pogatetz - but Dimitar Berbatov kept his cool to keep Manchester United in the title race.
Ronaldo was fuming at the Middlesbrough hardman for whacking him on the leg then grabbing his face off the ball at a corner.
The World Player of the Year had words with Pogatetz as they went off at half-time and they continued all the way up the tunnel. Ronaldo stuck his face into the Austrian's and got a forehead back at him as team-mates looked on.
Referee Martin Atkinson spoke to the duo before the second-half as tempers boiled at frosty Old Trafford.They are unlikely to be reported as Atkinson dealt with the incident on the spot.
Pogatetz has history against United. He was guilty of an X-rated challenge on Rodrigo Possebon when the clubs met in the Carling Cup and was sent off.
United laboured for the second game running with Ronaldo's golden touch of last season deserting him on a night of fluffed opportunities.
They were grateful to Berbatov, who poked in the winner in the 69th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo Biography
Name : Cristiano Ronaldo
Birth Name : Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Date of Birth : February 5, 1985
Place of Birth : Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height : 6' 1''
Trade Mark : Much known for his fancy flicks and stepovers.
Nicknames : Cris, Ron, Ronnie, The Sultan of the Stepover
Ronaldinho
Milan AC Midfielders
Height: 1.82m. Weight: 76.00kg. Nationality: Brazil
Born: 21/03/1980 in
First professional match: Auxerre - Paris-SG : 1-1 on 04/08/2001
Bio, career, personal life, etc.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980) is a footballer more commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho, due to his being from the Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil, or more simply known as Ronaldinho.
His name Ronaldinho, Portuguese for "little Ronaldo", was originally devised as a means of distinguishing between himself and fellow Brazilian football star Ronaldo, with the additional title Gaúcho being used when the current Ronaldo was also known as Ronaldinho. Among his many achievements and accolades, Ronaldinho has been awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice (2004, 2005), as well as the European Footballer of the Year award and the FIFPro World Player of the Year award (2005) and is regarded by many as the best player in the world. He has downplayed suggestions that he is the best footballer in the world, telling FourFourTwo magazine, "I don't even feel I'm the best at Barça."
In his childhood, Ronaldinho's skill in football began to blossom due to his particular interest in futsal and beach football, which later developed into a fondness for more standardised football. His first brush with the media came after a 23 goal flurry against a local team, at just 13 years of age. His reputation as a footballer was built up through his childhood, particularly since he was identified as a rising star at the Egypt 1997 under-17 world championship. He scored two goals in the tournament, both penalty kicks.
