He was the only player to win the world championship three times, scored 77 goals in 92 international matches for Brazil and won a total of 26 national and international titles with FC Santos. Pelé († 82) will always be remembered as a footballer of the century even after his death!
And life off the pitch? It was wilder than you think.
Pelé has been married three times, has five children from two marriages and two other illegitimate children.
► In February 1966 he married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi, with whom he has three children together: Kelly Cristina (born 1967), Edson Cholbi (1970) and Jennifer (1978).
His first son, called “Edinho”, later made headlines. In February 2017, the ex-soccer player (including goalkeeper at FC Santos) was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison for involvement in money laundering in connection with drug deals.
He was released in September 2019 on charges of good behavior but has to appear in court monthly. Must not leave the house between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. without permission. He has been coaching Brazilian club Londrina since November 2021.
► Even before marrying Rosemeri, Pelé had a romance with his maid, Anizia Machado, which resulted in the birth of Sandra Machado in 1964.
However, Pelé only recognized paternity in 1996 after a long legal battle and a DNA test. The footballer never wanted contact with his daughter. Sandra Machado died of breast cancer in 2006.
► During his first marriage, Pelé had an affair with Brazilian journalist Lenita Kurtz. With her he became a father again in 1970. Daughter Flávia Christina only found out at the age of 18 that Pelé was her father.
In 1994, two years after Rosemeri’s divorce, Pelé married Assíria Lemos Seixas. But this marriage did not last until the end and they divorced in 2008. With the psychologist and gospel singer, Pelé became the father of twins Joshua and Celeste in 1996.
► Pelé entered his third marriage in 2016 at the age of 75 to Marcia Aoki, who was 25 years his junior and was born in Japan.
After the end of his career in 1977, Pelé founded a sports marketing agency and was an advertising medium that was in demand worldwide (including American Express and Pepsi). His advertisement for the sexual enhancer Viagra was best known worldwide. He was a special envoy for the UN. His foundation “Pelé Foundation” supports poor children.
The footballer was also politically active. On January 1, 1995, under the government of then President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (91), Pelé was appointed Extraordinary Minister of Sports of Brazil. In April 1998 he resigned.
Pelé spent the rest of his life in the fashionable seaside resort of Guarujá near Santos. In a villa overlooking the Atlantic.