Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Brazilian Portuguese: ['etso (w)a'ratSiz du nasi'metu]; born 23 October 1940), known as Pele ([pe'le]), is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He is widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). That same year, Pele was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee.

Pele arrived in Sweden sidelined by a knee injury but on his return from the treatment room, his colleagues stood together and insisted upon his selection. His first match was against the USSR in the third match of the first round of the 1958 FIFA World Cup, where he gave the assist to Vava's second goal. He was the youngest player of that tournament, and at the time the youngest ever to play in the World Cup. Against France in the semifinal, Brazil was leading 2-1 at halftime, and then Pele scored a hat-trick, becoming the youngest in World Cup history to do so.  On 29 June 1958, Pele became the youngest player to play in a World Cup final match at 17 years and 249 days. He scored two goals in that final as Brazil beat Sweden 5-2 in Stockholm, the capital. His first goal where he flicked the ball over a defender before volleying into the corner of the net, was selected as one of the best goals in the history of the World Cup. Following Pele's second goal, Swedish player Sigvard Parling would later comment; "When Pele scored the fifth goal in that Final, I have to be honest and say I felt like applauding". When the match ended, Pele passed out on the field, and was revived by Garrincha. He then recovered, and was compelled by the victory to weep as he was being congratulated by his teammates. He finished the tournament with six goals in four matches played, tied for second place, behind record-breaker Just Fontaine, and was named best young player of the tournament.  It was in the 1958 World Cup that Pele began wearing a jersey with number 10. The event was the result of disorganization: the leaders of the Brazilian Federation did not send the shirt numbers of players and it was up to FIFA to choose the number 10 shirt to Pele who was a substitute on the occasion. The press proclaimed Pele the greatest revelation of the 1958 World Cup, and he was also retroactively given the Silver Ball as the second best player of the tournament, behind Didi.

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