How he got the nickname 'Pele'

Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: theathletic.com/tifofootball
📗 Tifo's new book, "How to Watch Football" is now available internationally: linktr.ee/tifobook

Pele, as a child, swore he would win the World Cup with Brazil when he saw his father crying after the 1950 heartache against Uruguay.

But at the time, Pele dreamt of becoming a goalkeeper, like his idol at Vasco de Gama.

This is the story of how Pele became the greatest football player the world had ever seen, the greatest goalscorer, and how he became a commercial phenomenon.

This is the twelfth in a series, written by Jonathan Wilson, exploring the entire history of football.

Illustrated by Philippe Fenner.

Follow Tifo Football by The Athletic:
Twitter: twitter.com/TifoFootball_
Facebook: facebook.com/TifoFootball
Instagram: instagram.com/TifoFootball_
TikTok: tiktok.com/@tifofootball_

Listen to the Tifo Football podcast:
The Athletic UK: bit.ly/TifoPodChannel
Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/TifoFootPod
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/06QIGhqK31Qw1UvfHzRIDA

Watch more Tifo:
Tifo Football Podcast: youtube.com/@tifo-podcast
Tifo Sports by The Athletic: youtube.com/@TifoSports

About Tifo Football by The Athletic:
Tifo loves football. We create In-depth tactical, historical and geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game.

We know there’s an appetite for thoughtful, intelligent content. For stuff that makes the complicated simple.

We provide analysis on the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, World Cup and more.

Our podcasts interview some of the game’s leading figures. And our editorial covers football with depth and insight.

Founded in 2017 and became a part of The Athletic in 2020. For business inquiries, reach out to tifo@theathletic.com.

Additional footage sourced from freestockfootagearchive.com
Music provided by APM Music