On this date in 1940 in a small town in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazi, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born. Pelé grew up in poverty where he could not afford a proper football and usually played with either a sock stuffed with newspaper, tied with a string, or a grapefruit. This man would go on to become the greatest soccer player ever to play the sport. In Asia, Africa, and Europe, fans paid homage to this black Brazilian. Concerned that such devotion might result in offers for Pelé to play for teams in richer countries, the Brazilian Congress declared the 22-year-old to be a "non-exportable national treasure" in 1962. During a visit to Nigeria by the team in 1969, the warring factions in a civil war agreed to a temporary truce lasting the duration of the Brazilian's stay. Pele has been repeatedly chosen as the most outstanding athlete of the twentieth century.

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