What Is Pele A Role Model

Think back to the first day of school. What if you were the poorest, weakest, slowest, or the only one in your class? This was the situation of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or Pele. Pele was born on October 23, 1940 in Tres Coracoes, Brazil and is still alive today. Pele was considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. He also overcame many hardships in his lifetime. He fought for a better life for the people in Brazil. Not only did Pele have many accomplishments on the soccer field he was also a role model for his country. Growing up Pele had a very difficult life. His father, Joao Ramos was a struggling soccer player and along with his mother, Dona Celeste had a hard time financially. From this, Pele grew up in poverty. He demonstrated his love for soccer by taking a rolled- up sock stuffed with rags and kicking it around the streets. Early in Pele’s life, his family moved to the city of Bauru. He only attended Brazil’s
Pele played for the Brazilian National soccer team, and helped then win their first world cup in Sweden in 1958. The next several world cups Pele suffered injuries, however in 1970 Pele helped Brazil win the world cup for a 3rd time. Pele’s play on the field was so popular that there was a 48- hour ceasefire in the Nigerian Civil War so that the soldiers could watch the game. Pele retired from soccer in 1974, but played an exhibition game for the New York Cosmos making soccer a big hit in America. Throughout his soccer career, Pele received many awards for his accomplishments. These include co- player of the century and still today, Pele is used as a model for many soccer players. Pele also had accomplishments on the soccer field for his work with UNICEF he received the international peace award. He was also Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister for sport and a United Nations ambassador for Ecology and environment. Pele always pushed himself to do better in everything he