Why Soccer Matters by Pelé (4/5)

In the book Why Soccer Matters, Pelé describes his life's most memorable events that shaped him into being who he is on and off the pitch. Pelé was born on October 23, 1940 and died recently on December 29, 2022 in his home country of Brazil. Growing up in the slums of São Paulo, Pelé grew up poor and made his first soccer ball from rolled up socks he would steal from the neighbors. Everyday, Pelé would practice soccer with anything he could find such as fruits, dish rags tied together, and even bits of trash. These actions are what led him to be the amazing soccer player he was and in 1958 he played in his first ever World Cup. The World cup is held every 4 years and is a tournament between countries, a country chosen in a lottery system and is one of the most viewed events in sports. Accompanied by an all time great Garrincha, Pelé led his team to victory and won the World Cup for his nation. He won again in 1962 and once more in 1970, he’s scored 778 goals in his career against professionals and is one of the leading goal scorers till this day. After retiring he became an ambassador for Soccer and even started acting in movies and commercials around the world. When reading the book, Pelé’s life story inspired me and made me think about how I live life. When telling how he grew up I could imagine what it was like and it makes me realize I can't take having nice things for granted. I also felt that Pelé being a soccer player, captured really well what his life was like using strong imagery that really placed me in the movie that was his life. Lastly, I feel as though the book assisted me in imagining how it is being a professional soccer player and also taught me the value of appreciating the little things I take for granted. If you’re a soccer fan I would highly recommend Why Soccer Matters because knowing a fair amount of soccer can further escalate the relationship you share with Pelé as an athlete. For future readers I wouldn’t skip the powerful images in the middle of the book because it gives you further insight on how he was off the court. These pictures all have an interesting backstory and help you develop a deeper respect for Pelé. Overall, Why Soccer Matters is an amazing book for people that want to know his life and especially soccer players that are interested in his amazing journey of life.