738 Peruvian children have reportedly been named after Brazilian football legend, Pele following his death.
According to the list published by the Peruvian National Civil Registry at the end of 2022, a total of 738 babies were registered as Pelé, Rey Pelé, Edson Arantes or Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the real name of the triple world cup champion.
On Monday January 2, thousands of football fans and dignitaries gathered at the stadium of Brazilian club Santos, where he played from 1956 to 1974, to bid a final farewell to the Brazilian player who died on December 29 at the age of 82.
Among Peruvian girls, 551 were baptized as either Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Second or Elizabeth II, after the British monarch who died in September after 70 years on the throne.
Despite Pele’s passing, the most popular famous name used by Peruvian parents was that of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, with Ronaldo or his full name chosen 31,583 times.
The Premier League has announced clubs will pay tribute to Pele during the upcoming round of matches, following the Brazilian legend’s death on Thursday December 29.
The Brazilian football legend passed away at the age of 82 at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo, after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.
‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pele, an extraordinarily gifted footballer who transcended our sport and inspired millions throughout his remarkable career,’ the Premier League said in a statement.
‘Our thoughts and sincere condolences go to Pele’s family and friends.’ The Premier League confirmed plans for clubs to honour to Pele’s contribution to football, with a minute’s applause to be held prior to kick-offs in this weekend’s matches. Players and match officials will also wear black armbands.
West Ham and Brentford will be the first clubs to pay tribute with the London derby kicking off the Premier League weekend tonight, followed by Liverpool and Leicester when they meet at Anfield.
The gesture will be followed before all games this weekend.
The body of Pele, will be laid to rest at the home of Santos, where he enchanted the world.
Pele will go straight from the Albert Einstein Hospital to Estádio Urbano Caldeira in Vila Belmiro at dawn on Monday and the coffin will be placed in the centre of the pitch.
Trying to sum up Pele’s life after football is quite difficult.
Since retiring as a professional footballer in 1977, Pele has been appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister for Sport, received an honorary Knighthood from the Queen, published books, appeared in films, conducted soundtracks, sued Samsung, advertised Viagra and done plenty, plenty more.
But it was with great surprise we recently stumbled upon an article which revealed Pele, the Great Pele, was once appointed scout at Fulham.
Hang on a minute…what? Pele? One of the greatest footballers of all time, Pele? Three-time World Cup winner, Pele?
The man who claims to have scored over 1,000 goals (if you include friendlies, five-a-side in training and kickabouts in the backgarden), Pele? The man who had a cameo in Mike Bassett: England Manager, Pele?
He might have discovered aliens in the 1969 TV Show Os Estranhos, but we couldn’t quite believe Pele had scouted for Fulham.
Alas, a quick Google search confirms it is indeed true. On October 9, 2002, the BBC published an article which declared: ‘Football legend Pele has agreed to help Fulham scout for emerging Brazilian talent.’
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was quoted as saying: “There are many Brazilian players playing all over the world right now, especially in Holland, Spain and Italy. But, in England, there are so few and I am sure we can change that.
“I am hoping that one day we will have skilful Brazilian players turning out for Fulham and to do that we must plan. I think that can happen because my club Santos produces a lot of good players.”
It was, in fact, not Pele’s first association with Fulham. In the 1960s and 70s, Santos would tour Europe like football’s equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters, with Pele undoubtedly the star attraction.
In 1973, the final year the Brazilian outfit embarked on such a tour, Santos were beaten 2-1 by Fulham at Craven Cottage, with Pele grabbing their only goal from the spot.
As noted by the This Day in Football History website: “It was a hard-fought victory for the hosts; post-match reports described the Fulham players as looking exhausted, while the Brazilians appeared to have barely broken a sweat.”
That night ended in acrimony when Santos, who had agreed a share of the gate receipts with Fulham, accused the hosts of fiddling the crowd numbers.
But 29 years later, Pele was back in west London, tasked by chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed with finding Fulham some of the best Brazilian players to complement a disparate group of players which contained the likes of Steve Finnan, Barry Hayles, Steed Malbranque and Louis Saha.
Al-Fayed had high hopes for the appointment, saying: “It is fantastic for Fulham. Pele is the greatest of all time – a true legend. So who better to have scouting for us in Brazil?”
As it transpired, there were probably better options to have scouting in Brazil. No samba stars arrived the following summer, although Fulham did sign a 42-year-old Dave Beasant on a free transfer from Brighton.
While there is no record of when Pele left his role, the Cottagers did not sign a Brazilian player until 2016, when Lucas Piazon arrived on loan from Chelsea.
But still, Pele, that Pele, scouting for Fulham. Is there anything that man can’t do?
Brazil’s iconic Maracana stadium is to be named in honour of the country’s legendary footballer Pele.
The move follows a vote by the Rio de Janeiro state legislature to change the venue’s name to the Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Rei Pele stadium.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento is the 80-year-old’s full name, while Rei means king in Portuguese.
The Rio de Janeiro’s state governor must approve the name change before it becomes official.
Pele, who won three World Cups as a player for Brazil, scored his 1,000th goal at the stadium in 1969 when playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama.
The Maracana held the 1950 and 2014 World Cup finals, as well as the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics.
More than 200,000 spectators are reported to have been in the stadium to watch Uruguay beat Brazil in the 1950 final, although its capacity is now 78,838.
It was named after Mario Filho, a journalist who lobbied for its construction in the 1940s, but was known as the Maracana after the area in which it is located.
John Barnes scored one of England’s most iconic goals against Brazil in 1984 at the Maracana
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