Pele

Pele is the only player in history to have won three FIFA World Cup titles, lifting the trophy with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Across four World Cup tournaments he scored 12 goals in 14 appearances, a record that places him among the competition's all-time leading scorers. At the 1958 tournament in Sweden he became the youngest World Cup winner in history, aged just 17, scoring six goals including a hat-trick in the semi-final against France and twice in the final against the host nation.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on 23 October 1940 in Tres Coracoes, Brazil, Pele joined Santos at 15 and made his national team debut at 16. For Brazil he scored 77 goals in 92 appearances, a record he held for over 50 years. At club level, his 1,279 goals across his career, including spells at Santos and the New York Cosmos, are recognised by Guinness World Records. He was voted Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999 and is widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time alongside or ahead of any other claimant.

Pele died on 29 December 2022. His legacy remains the reference point against which modern players, including those at the 2026 World Cup, are measured. Brazil's renewed World Cup ambitions in 2026 are pursued in the shadow of a player who made the country synonymous with the tournament.