Pelé 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 the Century award. That same year, Pelé was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. According to the
Sandro Rosa do Nascimento de Janeiro, where he witnessed the Candelaria church massacre on July 23, 1993. Brazilian policemen killed eight adolescents and injured several others. Nascimento was unharmed, and cited the event during his hostage situation. On June 12, 2000, Nascimento boarded a public bus (Ônibus #174) in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro. He was armed with a .38 caliber revolver, with the intention to rob the passengers. Moments after Nascimento announced the robbery, a passenger signaled to a vehicle from the Rio de Janeiro military police, prompting the police to intercept the bus. Nascimento took the passengers of the bus hostage. The