Pelé after retirement. The following table is a compendium of sources that include data from Santos and FIFA official websites among others. Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded by many in the sport, including football writers, players, and fans, as the greatest player of all time. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of
Abdias do Nascimento the Army. While in prison at the Carandiru Penitentiary, he created the Convict's Theater, in which prisoners wrote, directed, and performed in their own plays and musical productions. When released, Nascimento moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he founded the Black Experimental Theater ("Teatro Experimental do Negro", TEN) in 1944. TEN premiered on May 8, 1945 with a production of O'Neill's "The Emperor Jones", surprising skeptical critics with a presentation that was highly acclaimed for its technical and dramatic effectiveness. With intense activity in theatrical production, TEN also was responsible for stellar initiatives in black activism, such as the National