The Birth of a Legend: June 29, 1958
At 17 years old, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was the youngest player to star in a finals tournament at the time. But the young man who came to be known as Pele led Brazil with two goals in the final in a 5-2 victory over Sweden in the 1958 World Cup. This image, taken by an unknown photographer, was syndicated by the famous Keystone agency, and described by Butson as “relatively rudimentary in nature” compared to what comes from today’s high-tech cameras. It was the career launch of a player that many still call the greatest of all time.
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