Pelé
Soccer's greatest icon
Pelé is the Brazilian soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940–2022), widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century.
He won three World Cups with Brazil and scored over a thousand career goals.
His name often serves as a benchmark for excellence in soccer: He's no Pelé, but he's decent.
One who hits targets
- goalscorerPlayer who scores goals
- dribblerOne who bounces forward
- bicycle kickOverhead athletic strike
- hat-trickThree successes consecutively
forward · playmaker · golden boot · nutmeg · scissor kick · attacker · cap · free kick
Brazilian coastal city
- Rio de JaneiroBrazilian coastal metropolis
- CarnivalPre-fasting festival season
- sambaAfro-Brazilian celebratory dance
- bossa novaLyrical Brazilian jazz-samba blend
capoeira · Portuguese · Copacabana · Christ the Redeemer · feijoada · Ipanema · caipirinha · Brasília
Pictorial screen symbol
- immortalCannot die
- heroOne admired for courage
- greatestSurpassing all others
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
giant · maestro · phenomenon · paragon · colossus · virtuoso · trailblazer · benchmark
Premier international football tournament
1970 · gold · triumph · glory · winner · titleholder · undefeated · dominance
Person others emulate
- idolObject of worship
- ambassadorOfficial foreign representative
- influencePower to affect others
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
mentor · hero · admiration · dream · aspiration · motivation · empowerment · prodigy
striker
One who hits targets
- goalscorerPlayer who scores goals
- dribblerOne who bounces forward
- bicycle kickOverhead athletic strike
hat-trick · forward · playmaker · golden boot · nutmeg · scissor kick · attacker · cap · free kick · penalty kick
Santos
Brazilian coastal city
- Rio de JaneiroBrazilian coastal metropolis
- CarnivalPre-fasting festival season
- sambaAfro-Brazilian celebratory dance
bossa nova · capoeira · Portuguese · Copacabana · Christ the Redeemer · feijoada · Ipanema · caipirinha · Brasília · selva
icon
Pictorial screen symbol
pioneer · giant · maestro · phenomenon · paragon · colossus · virtuoso · trailblazer · benchmark · epic
World Cup
Premier international football tournament
1962 · 1970 · gold · triumph · glory · winner · titleholder · undefeated · dominance · excellence
role model
Person others emulate
- idolObject of worship
- ambassadorOfficial foreign representative
- influencePower to affect others
visionary · mentor · hero · admiration · dream · aspiration · motivation · empowerment · prodigy · guidance
Pelébenchwarmer
Seldom-used team member
journeyman · amateur · washout · scrub · never-was
PeléDiego Maradona
Luis Suarez · Tonya Harding · Lance Armstrong · O.J. Simpson · cheat
PeléDiego Maradona
anti-hero · Lionel Messi · Bobby Charlton · Cristiano Ronaldo