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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.

Since retiring, Pele has continued to be lauded by players, coaches, journalists and others. Brazilian attacking midfielder Zico, who represented Brazil at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup, stated; "This debate about the player of the century is absurd. There's only one possible answer: Pele. He's the greatest player of all time, and by some distance I might add". French three time Balon D'or winner Michel Platini said; "There's Pele the man, and then Pele the player. And to play like Pele is to play like God." Joint FIFA Player of the Century, Argentina's 1986 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona stated; "It's too bad we never got along, but he was an awesome player". Prolific Brazilian striker Romario, winner of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and player of the tournament; "It's only inevitable I look up to Pele. He's like a God to us". Five-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo said: "Pele is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pele", while Jose Mourinho, two-time UEFA Champions League winning manager, commented; "I think he is football. You have the real special one - Mr. Pele." Real Madrid honorary president and former player, Alfredo Di Stefano, opined; "The best player ever? Pele. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pele was better".  Presenting Pele a lifetime achievement award, former South African president Nelson Mandela said; "To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full." US politician and political scientist Henry Kissinger stated, "Performance at a high level in any sport is to exceed the ordinary human scale. But Pele's performance transcended that of the ordinary star by as much as the star exceeds ordinary performance." After a reporter asked if his fame compared to that of Jesus, Pele in response quipped, "There are parts of the world where Jesus Christ is not so well known."  In 1999, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) voted Pele the World Player of the Century. That same year, the International Olympic Committee elected him the Athlete of the Century. According to the IFFHS, Pele is the most successful league goal-scorer in the world, scoring 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and tour games. In 1999, Time magazine named Pele one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. During his playing days, Pele was for a period the highest-paid athlete in the world. Pele's "electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals" made him a star around the world. To take full advantage of his popularity, his teams toured internationally. During his career, he became known as "The Black Pearl" (A Perola Negra), "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pele" (O Rei Pele) or simply "The King" (O Rei).
Pelé