Pele: The Autobiography

Being a soccer fan I loved this but I think non-soccer fans will love this book. Pele was the first ever million $ a year athlete. This book starts with Pele's humble beginnings in Brazil. Pele is his nickname, taken from a goalie he admired. Pele always wanted to be a goalie and in the days before substituions were allowed (pre- 1970) he was the reserve goalie. Very good book, and once you've read it you'll understand how brutal soccer was before the referees started clamping down on bad tackles. A few times Pele thought his career was over. He was "butchered" in the 1966 World Cup. I think most US readers will come away with a sense of how soccer is more than just a sport in the rest of the world. Pele relates how after Brazil lost to Uruguay in the World Cup final his father (a good soccer player) cried for weeks and never seemed to be the same again. And how on the eve of the 70 World Cup final, Pele (a veteran at 27. Soccer really is a kid's game) preached at length to the rest of the team about their responsibilites to everyone back in Brazil and how a loss wouble be unthinkable (sounded like they were landing at Normandy). Needless to say, Brazil won 4-1 over Italy, and the 70's Brazil team is still acknowledged to be the best team ever. The Brazil vs England quarter final game from the same world cup is the game most viewed by coaches to teach players. That game was played at such a high level that they still analyze it to death. For you bookworms, think Shakespeare's Hamlet. How would the 70 Brazil team rank against the Beckhams and Ronaldos of today? Hard to say, but personally I'd put my money on the Brazilians of 1970......

I was too young to see Pele while he still was an active footballer, but growing up in a football loving home I've been fed with the legend of this fantastic athlete. My Dad always told me about the greatness of Pele, and I always felt that I lost our "arguments" about whether "my generations" superstar Maradona or "his generations" star Pele actually was the Greatest One. I bought this book to find out more about the legendary Pele. Wow, wasn't this a great book? When understanding what impact this man had on the beautiful game it's easy to see how he can be recognized as the Greatest. He wasn't only an extremely talented athlete; he was also a man with a wonderful heart and who had his morals in order. I'm sure you find a picture of Pele in the dictionary if you look up the word "sportsmanship". I think this well written book is a worthy tribute to this great athlete. It tells us the this to-good-to-be-true motivational story about a man with an extreme talent that goes all the way from poverty thru a triumphant career all the way to the top of the beautiful game...and he do so with style! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Few athletes have captured the world's collective admiration and respect as Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Known affectionately to his family as Dico, but to the rest of us as Pele', his influence far exceeded his tremendous exploits on the soccer field. He is one of the most recognized people in the world. This well-written, extremely detailed, and intriguing autobiography takes us deeply into Pele's world. He describes in great detail his impoverished youth in Bauru, his rapid ascent into the Brazilian National Team, his stellar years at Santos Football Club, and finally, his desire to bring soccer to the skeptical masses in North America. But throughout it all, we see his humility. "I only wanted to be as good as my father, Dodinho." I had the opportunity to play soccer with a Brazilian who played with Pele' at Santos. My friend was very young at the time, and told me that Pele' treated him very well. "He was well-liked by everyone, and always helpful to his teammates. You never knew he was the best player in the world. He acted just like a regular guy." Out of his many feats (playing in the World Cup final at the age of 17, the only three time winner of the World Cup, scoring almost 1300 goals), one stands out. Pele' is perhaps the only athlete to ever stop a war. During the Biafran Civil War in Nigeria, a three day truce was called to watch him play two exhibition games. Pele' was declared a national treasure by his native Brazil. But for the millions of us who had the privilege to see him play, he was our treasure as well. Thank you for the opportunity to review this excellent book.

This is a wonderful book about Pele's career and life; how from the "barrios" of Brazil to the greatest sporting stage in the world, the World Cup, Pele earned the title of the greatest soccer player of all time. The book covers Pele's triumphs as a 17 year old in the 1958 final to his dismay in 1966 and the grand finale victory in 1970. This is a well written thorough book that I purchased and read in 1977 but subsequently lost. I am happy to be purchasing it again today, to read, enjoy and share it with my children.

I first read this book when it first came out in paperback, and read it perhaps five more times in the intervening twenty years. Without being filled with a lot of braggadocio or self-congratulations, and with hardly any mention of political/social agendas [like books by most sports heroes] the book tells the stories of Pele's on-the-field exploits while also explaining the events that shaped his life.Although his personal convictions are clear from vignettes about times in his life when he found himself praying, mourning, or bemoaning poor sportsmanship and unfair treatment in general, Pele does not use his autobiography to grind any axes. The book includes an almost goal-by-goal analysis of his career, as well as a snapshot of some unique "records" [such as, just how infrequently he ever scored of a bicycle kick], and a better-than-photographic memory of some of the most famous highlights of his career [his description of the build-up to the famous World Cup goal scored by Carlos Santos -- a defender -- off his assist makes the actual video footage seem passe].For years I have wished that I had a copy of this book to give to each of the MVP's on teams I have coached at the high school and college level, and to deserving volunteers in youth programs, and to favorite colleagues. If you're a fan of even middling interest in soccer, or know someone who is, you should buy this book.