Pele he knew what he was going to do with his life beyond football since October 1, 1977 when, at the age of 36, he said goodbye to the fields for good in a match between Saints and Cosmos, in which he played a time for each. His thing was almost always diplomacy and cunning to adapt to different situations without resigning a bit of his essence.
The talented player took off his shirt and without hesitation put on the suit of the businessman, the politician and also the imperfect man. Vision and judgment were crucial in every aspect he faced. It was as if he had nurtured that instinct for life with which he earned his first money as a shoe shiner.
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The political waist raised the Brazilian, who little by little was gaining space in places that rarely before had opened the doors to a former soccer player. In 1977, for example, he was appointed ambassador of the United Nations and he even received the mention of “Citizen of the World” by the UN.
an ambassador
There was more: Pelé was also included in the FIFA Fair Play Committee and named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. The star managed to get FIFA to join forces with Unicef to organize the 2002 World Cup, in South Korea and Japan, to dedicate it to children, which meant a resounding success with the face of the Brazilian in every corner of the planet.
Pelé, ambitious, needed to transcend in other aspects and did not hesitate to venture into politics when, for example, he had already become an icon of the MasterCard company. In the mid-1990s, he took over as Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister of Sports, under the mandate of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
Although the sphere of power did not support him as much as he claimed to, he held office until 1998. During that period, however, he managed to get the “Pelé Law” enacted, whose main points ruled that, as soon as the contract of a player with his club, he had to renew with the entity, or the club must release him. In addition, this forced the institutions to act as companies, having to show audited annual balance sheets. At that time, he was also working as an executive adviser at Santos.
He also had an active participation in the designation of Rio de Janeiro as the headquarters of the Olympic Games 2016. There his contacts and his influence were noted. He was going to light the cauldron, but health problems were already emerging and prevented him from being at the opening ceremony.
He was always close to events: the Formula 1the Olympic Games, boxing… and not to mention football and FIFA.
One of the big questions was how much money Pelé made in his career as a footballer, businessman and investor. According to specialized media, the Brazilian amassed a fortune close to 100 million dollars.
Pelé ventured into the real estate business. In 2018, for example, it was reported that the former No. 10 had sold the house he had in the Hamptons, United Statesfor $2.85 million, which had been purchased for $156,000 in 1979.
Of course, he never lacked sports distinctions. Pelé was elected “Champion of the 20th century” in 1980, according to a survey carried out among some twenty newspapers, led by the French weekly L’Equipe. The Brazilian finished ahead of the American athlete Jesse Owens and the Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx. In 2000, meanwhile, he trailed behind boxer Muhammad Ali in the “Athlete of the 20th Century” election.
A cruise of your own
Yes, just as it reads: Edson Arantes do Nascimento was a source of inspiration for business and, in 2009, “Pelé’s Cruise” went to sea, then aboard the Costa Serena, flagship of the fleet Costa Cruises.
O’Rei accompanied the tourists on the trip, recounted anecdotes, spread the virtues of Brazil and, from time to time, fulfilled the dream of all those who wanted to be close to the legend.
“I am delighted to be on board the Costa Serena along with other great names in sport and the world’s media for this special event dedicated to my two great loves: soccer and my country,” he said at the time of departure.
The boat traveled through beautiful tourist spots, with Brazilian colours, flavors, smells and music: Venice, Bari, Olympia, Mykonos, Rhodes and Dubrovnik. One luxury within another.
Pele the artist
The days away from the stadiums also left him time for the movies. Yes, Pelé was an actor. In 1981 he participated in the film that was released in Argentina under the name “Escape to victory”, in which he plays Louis Fernandez, a prisoner in the Gensdorff concentration camp, in 1943, full WWII. Nazi officers watch the prison team play and challenge them to a match that ultimately ends with a breakout.
How could it be otherwise, Pelé shines with a goal from a Chilean average. Other vintage footballers were also in the film, such as Bobby Moore –O’Rei’s personal friend– Paul Van Himst, Osvaldo Ardiles and Kazimierz Deyna. The Brazilian shared the set with actors of the stature of Michael Caine, Max Von Sydow and a young Sylvester Stallone. He was in charge of designing the game choreography for the match.
Some time later, Ardiles would gracefully describe what filming with Pelé was like: “He played eight minutes and left because they were hitting him. We played 10 against 11 the whole game. We were losing 4-0 and when we were 4-4 he said ‘I’m OK’ and went back in”.
Art had another destiny in store for Pelé: music. He was the composer of several pieces, including the complete soundtrack of the biographical film Pelé (1977).
Although the saddest moment is approaching, these are the videos of Pelé that should be shared. The first to score all the great goals that came after. O’Rei. pic.twitter.com/ddqromUKfP
— Alberto P. Sierra (@alberpsierra) December 26, 2022
His personal life brought him ups and downs. Pelé had eight recognized children: four with his first wife, Rosemeri Cholbi; two with the second, Assíria Lemos, and extramarital two daughters.
He was judicially forced to acknowledge the paternity of one, Sandra Regina Machado, who died of cancer on October 17, 2006. The former soccer player did not attend the funeral and only sent flowers, a situation that covered him with criticism, but which, according to his explanations, He did not attend because of the impression caused by the funeral atmospheres. And, at this point, it is also worth clarifying that Pelé did not attend the posthumous tributes to his parents either.
Among his many romances, the most talked about was the controversial one he had with Xuxa, when she was a minor, at 17, and he, at 40.
In 2016, at the age of 75, he married for the third time, after a relationship that had been going on since 2010, with the Brazilian businesswoman of Japanese origin Marcia Cibele Aoki.
Pelé undoubtedly surfed every aspect of his life. He was the man who built his own brand without ever losing sight of what his figure needed.
(‘In heaven we will play together on the same team’: Pelé said goodbye to Maradona)
(Pelé, that was his brilliant sporting career)
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