At the age of 17, Pelé won Brazil's first World Cup.
Not only that, but he was the star player in the tournament of one of the most popular sports on the planet.
This helped place Brazil in the global spotlight.
He became the most iconic figure in the sport. To this day, he is the only player to have won three World Cups.
When he passed away in 2022, we decided to immortalize "the King" by turning his name into an adjective and officially including it in the dictionary forever. This is a popular practice in Brazil, calling someone "Pelé" when they are the best at something.
Now, we have made it official, making him the first athlete to have his name included in a dictionary.
Fun fact: Did you know that the number 10 became the most important jersey, the one synonymous with a team’s best player, only after Pelé? Before him, numbers were often assigned randomly. It was Pelé who turned the number 10 into a legend and an icon of football. Of course, many great players have worn other numbers, but ask any fan what the number 10 means on a football team and they will tell you: it means greatness.
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