Pele, who was suffering from cancer breathed his last on Thursday at the age of 82 in Albert Einstein Hospital, Sao Paulo. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, Pele took Brazil to the pinnacle of the football world. He helped his nation to win three World Cup titles. Pele was also influential for his club Santos' huge success in the 50s and 60s. In the later stages of his career, he plied his trade for New York Cosmos. In 21 year long career, the Brazilian forward scored around 1283 goals for his club and country. Pelé Dies at 82: Did You Know Football Legend Had Acted With Sylvester Stallone in a Movie? Here's All You Need to Know About 'Escape to Victory'.

Pele became the first football icon or rather sports icon in the world. Almost everyone, including people who didn't know anything about football, knew Pele. The name Pele has become an integral part of the game of football. However, interestingly Pele's actual name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. So why people started to call him Pele? What is the origin of the name? Today in this article we will take a look at that.

Why Pele Was Called Pele?

Edson Arantes do Nascimento was a football prodigy, even from his childhood. He was an extremely talented striker who used to tear apart every opponent team. It can be said that, playing against a team which had Edson Arantes as their striker didn't seem fair. Hence he was asked to play as a goalkeeper in a match. Pele did well even in the goalkeeper position and managed to pull off some great saves. Looking at this, the spectators started to compare him with Bile. (Bile was a goalkeeper with whom Pele's father played) After a few days, the name Bile evolved to Pele. Footprints of Pele: Revisiting Brazilian Football Legend's Legacy Against Mohun Bagan.

Interestingly during the early days, Pele never liked his nickname as it had no meaning in the Portuguese language. It seemed like an insult to him. Pele even fought with a school student who actually gave him the name. Finally, when he discovered Pele means "miracle" in the Hebrew language, he accepted the name. As time progressed, Pele's nickname become more famous than his actual name. He got known as Pele throughout the football world. Now even today Pele stays as one of the most-known names in the whole world.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2022 03:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).