Born on October 23, 1940, Pelé would grow up to become the greatest player of soccer (or football, as it is called in countries outside the United States) the world has ever known. Though the origin of the name Pelé is unknown, some believe it derives from the word pé, meaning “foot” in Portuguese, which is often yelled in frustration by players when the soccer ball is mistakenly touched by the hand. Still others believe the name was given as a tribute to the soccer star Bilé. Over the course of his career, Pelé had many nicknames: in Italy he was called il Re, the King; in France, la Tulipe Noire, the Black Tulip; and in Brazil, Perola Negra, the Black Pearl. In 1958, at seventeen years old, he was the youngest player in history to compete in a World Cup championship, and he led his team to victory over Sweden and to Brazil’s first World Cup. At twenty-one, he led his team to another World Cup championship, and he did it again at twenty-nine. In all, he played 1,363 games, scoring an incredible 1,281 goals. Brazil’s famous number 10 brought grace and excitement, speed and acrobatics the likes of which have never been seen—before or since—to the soccer field.