Why is Edson Arantes do Nascimento know as Pelé?

 Why is Edson Arantes do Nascimento know as Pelé?

Brazilian soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento is possible the most famous of all the game's brightest stars -but the world knows him as Pelé, a name whose origins he says go back to his early

youth in the streets of his home city, Três

Corações. Born in 1940 into a poor black

family, he was called Dico for most of his

childhood. When he began playing pro

fessional soccer, Brazilian fans soon gave

him a nickname, as they do many other

players. In his early teens, the young

Edson shone at pelada, a street version

of soccer, and it is believed that his skill

at that game led friends to call him Pelé.

During his career, Pelé played 1363

matches and scored 1281 goals. He was a

member of Brazil's teams that won the

World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970. In

1975 he signed a three-year contract

worth almost $4 million to play for New

York Cosmos in the North American

Soccer League. Some 76 000 fans, capti

vated by the Brazilian's spectacular skills,

crowded Giants Stadium to see and cheer

his farewell appearance.