Pelé
The King of Soccer
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4.9 • 8 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In the graphic novel Pele: The King of Soccer, Eddy Simon and Vincent Brascaglia beautifully depict Pele's rise from the slums of Brazil to the national stage.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known to his schoolmates as Pelé, grew up in poverty in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil. He was too poor to afford a real soccer ball, so he played with a ball of newspaper tied together with string. Yet he dominated the youth leagues and signed his first professional soccer contract at the age of fifteen. Within two years he was celebrated internationally, when he led Brazil to victory at the world cup. Known by his fans as "O Rei" (The King), Pelé is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time. But he's more than just an athlete: he also traveled the world as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Pelé is the living symbol of a sport he dubbed "the beautiful game"—a game that brings people together regardless of race or nationality.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pel , the Brazilian soccer player famous around the world, is an ideal subject for a graphic biography. His career was a dizzying rags-to-riches story. When Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born, his family had just installed their first electric light, and they named him after Thomas Edison (he acquired his nickname later). His father, a soccer player whose climb to fame was ruined by an early injury, nurtured his son's talent. Pel 's rise to fame was meteoric; he played in his first World Cup match at 17 and gave the car he won to his father. More glory as a player awaited, but his life was complicated by political upheaval in Brazil and by personal crises. His greatest pleasure was to slip away and find ordinary children to practice with. Brascaglia crams as much information and drama into his panels as Simon does into the text. An extra dimension is Pel 's status as an athlete of color in a country where whites held power. The story is gripping straight through, and a sterling choice for reluctant readers. Ages 8 12.
