New Delhi: The ‘Black Pearl’ of football passed away at the age of 82 after battling cancer and spending his last days in a hospital. Arguably the greatest footballer of all time, Pele, has won three FIFA World Cups in his lifetime, a feat no one else could achieve. With the most number of goals for Brazil, Pele holds many such records to his name and has passed away as a legend of the most followed game worldwide.
Coming out of poverty, he won his first World Cup at the age of 17 in 1958, and with the next two World Cup victories, he was crowned as the best player of his time. Take a look at his famous World Cup final wins.
Sweden World Cup, 1958
While players like Vava led Brazil to the knockouts, it was Pele who scored his first goal against Wales in the quarterfinals to lead his team to the semis after beating Wales 1-0. The semi-finals between Brazil and France was supposed to be a competition between Fontaine and Vava, but there emerged Pele who scored a hattrick to beat France 5-2. He scored two goals in the finals against Sweden to lift his first World Cup.
Chile World Cup, 1962
Facing Mexico in the first game, Pele and Mario Zagallo scored a goal each to win the first game for Brazil. While Brazil won the World Cup and Pele injured himself and could score only one goal in the tournament. Brazil beat Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) 3-1 as Pele lifted his second World Cup.
Mexico World Cup, 1970
Pele vowed to never play the tournament after targeted tackling in 1966, but he came back in 1970 to play in Mexico. Brazil beat Czechoslovakia in their opening encounter where Pele scored a goal. He then scored two goals against Romania to beat them 3-2 and book a spot in the knockouts. He then went on to score the first goal of the finals between Brazil and Italy and his team lifted the World Cup with a comfortable 4-1 victory. Pele also earned the Golden Ball for his historical performance.