In Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, Brazil, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname “Pelé,” passed away at the age of 82. The player developed colon cancer in September of 2021 and unfortunately lost the battle on Dec. 29, 2022.However, his legacy still goes on, as he is ranked the best soccer player of all time since 1962. Pelé has won three world cup titles, which “marks the most all-time by one player.”

Born in Brazil on Oct. 3, 1940, Pelé’s full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, originally named after the American inventor Thomas Edison, but due to a typo on his birth certificate, many documents displayed his name as “Edison,” not “Edson.”

Pelé received his nickname during his school days because he used to mispronounce the name of Bile, a goalkeeper at local sports club Vasco da Gama. The name stuck when his classmates started using the name “Pelé,” and it is now a name known everywhere.

When Pelé first started his soccer career, he went to try out for professional clubs. He impressed the Santos coach Lula during his trial and signed a professional contract with the club in June of 1956. Ten months after signing professionally, 16-year-old Pelé was called up to the Brazil national team. After the 1958 and 1962 World Cup, many wealthy European clubs tried to get him to sign a contract with them, only for it to prove unsuccessful.

Nowadays, Pelé holds a record of scoring 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, making him the highest scorer in the world of soccer.