Pelé

Pelé was a Brazilian forward, born in 1940 and raised in poverty in Bauru. He signed for Santos at 15 and made his Brazil debut at 16, and at the 1958 World Cup became, at 17, the youngest player to win the tournament, scoring twice in the final. Quick, two-footed and a ruthless finisher, he spent almost his whole career at Santos, driving them to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores.

He remains the only footballer to win three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970), the last as the creative heart of a side often called the greatest ever. His goal total carries a nuance: 757 in official competitive matches, or a Guinness-recognised 1,279 including friendlies. After a spell with the New York Cosmos he retired in 1977. FIFA named him joint Player of the Century with Maradona. He died in December 2022, aged 82.