Quotes by Pelé

 "When football stars disappear, so do the teams, and that is a very curious phenomenon. It is like in the theatre, in a play, where there is a great star. If the star is not well, the whole cast suffers"

"I don't believe there is such a thing as a 'born' soccer player. Perhaps you are born with certain skills and talents, but quite frankly it seems impossible to me that one is actually born to be an ace soccer player."

"Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do"

"Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string"

"A penalty is a cowardly way to score."

"Everything is practice"

"He is the greatest player in the world right now, without a doubt, he is the player who gives (Brazilians) the most joy": Pele, on Ronaldinho.

“I've come to accept that the life of a frontrunner is a hard one, that he will suffer more injuries than most men and that many of these injuries will not be accidental”

"Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pele. I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man"

View the Art Of Pele Gallery.