Pelé was average-sized but had speed, balance and vision. He had extraordinary control of the ball and was able to shoot powerfully with either foot. And his headers were legendary! One of the best compliments to Pele's performance in that tournament came from Italy's Tarcisio Burgnich, the defender charged with man-marking the Brazilian in the final.

Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do." A Short Biography of Pelé Pele the player had already retired from international duty before I was born in 1973, but growing up in Brazil made it impossible to escape hearing over and over again tales of his feats. In 1999 Pelé was named FIFA's "Co-Player of the Century", a title he shared with the Argentinian Diego Maradona. He was also named "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee. It was a fitting recognition for this outstanding football player and inspirational man.He never went into management and his involvement with the game was largely limited to stints in TV punditry - the scenes of him jumping up and down still wearing his headset in the press box of the Rose Bowl stadium in Los Angeles when Brazil won the 1994 Men's World Cup still bring a tear to my eyes. I told myself before the game, 'he's made of skin and bones, just like everyone else'. But I was wrong."

At Sport Photo Gallery, we're always updating our photo library every week, and with thousands of photos to choose from, we're sure you won't have trouble finding what you're looking for. Since the incredible arrival of Lionel Messi on the scene, many have been tempted to claim Pele had been toppled as the world's best ever footballer. Not in the Brazilian legend's opinion.That afternoon, he launched into a full-blown rant against everything and everyone who, in his opinion, was unfairly criticising him - including a certain Diego Maradona. It was pure gold for a bombastic article, but unfortunately one that would never see the light of day - the King had already made it clear: "You are here as a friend, not as a journalist". Pelé's final game was an exhibition match between his two teams, the New York cosmos and Santos, in 1977. He played for both sides! Pelé first came to international attention in the 1958 World Cup, when the 17 year old stunned the world with 3 goals in the semi-final and 2 goals in the finals, helping Brazil win the competition.