RIP Pele: 7 records that made Brazilian great the King of Football
By Ayush Gupta | First Published Dec 30, 2022, 1:58 AM ISTRIP Pele: The legendary Brazilian great of all time is no more, having passed away at 82. As the world bids adieu to a true football legend, seven of his records should keep standing forever, making him the King of Football.
In a significant setback for world football, the legendary Brazilian great of all time, Pele, has left the world. He passed away at 82 and breathed his last in Sao Paulo at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital. The legend, who helped Brazil win three of its five FIFA World Cup glories to date, would undoubtedly remain in the hearts of loyal Brazilian fans in his country and across the globe. He was so good of a footballer that as a striker, he holds innumerable records in the sport, while some of them happen to be world records. On the same note, we present seven of his records that are likely to stand forever.
Youngest World Cup champion
He was only 17 when he lifted his first WC title in 1958. During the tournament, he became the youngest to feature in the same before being broken by Edu and Norman Whiteside later, while more records kept tumbling, thanks to Pele.
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Record Brazilian goal-scorer
In a first and only, Pele is the only man to have scored 1,000 career goals. While he scored 95 for Brazil, considering his club goals and all other unofficial matches, it surpasses 1,000. He also possesses the best goal-scoring average by a Brazilian, which is 0.84 goals per game.
Most assists in WC
In a dual record, Pele holds the record of coming up with the most assists in the event's history and also the most in a single edition. He has ten assists in the entire WC to date, while seven of them arrived during the 1970 edition, whereas a couple from the edition happened in the final.
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Most WC titles
Pele held the prestigious title on three occasions. While it might seem too low of a number to be a record, it certainly isn't. Winning just one WC trophy is highly competitive nowadays while winning a couple would make a player super lucky, let alone winning three, especially in today's competitive modern-day football.
Youngest hat-trick hero of WC
Once again, during the 1958 edition, Pele scripted another monumental record when he scored his hat-trick during the match versus France, which Brazil won 5-2. Consequently, he also became the youngest to do so in the tournament. While he scored a brace in the final against Sweden, he was also the youngest to do so.
Most career hat-tricks
If someone like Pele can net over 1,000 career goals, imagine how many hat-tricks he has in his career. How much do you think it is? A 100? Well, you are there near about. It's a whopping 92 (276 goals), which includes all games recognised by FIFA, CONMEBOL, and other government bodies, including friendlies, testimonials, or charity contests. For some players, his hat-trick goals are equivalent to what they score in their careers. Truly a legend!
Highest goal-scorer for Santos
Also, it is one record that is unlikely ever to be broken. Pele's history of over 1,000 goals playing for Santos is too monumental to be ever broken. Next to him is fellow Brazilian legend Pepe, with 405, which is less than half of Pele's tally.
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