Pelé legendary footballer and humanitarian explores the sport s recent history and shares his
most inspiring experiences heartwarming stories and hard-won wisdom. I know in my heart that
soccer was good to me and great to the world....I saw time and again how the sport improved
countless millions of lives both on and off the field. For me at least that s why soccer
matters. The world s most popular sport goes by many names soccer football the beautiful game
but fans have always agreed on one thing: The greatest player of all time was Pelé. Before
Messi before Ronaldo before Beckham Pelé had a stunning twenty-year career where he was
heralded as an international treasure. His accomplishments on the field proved to be pure
magic: an unprecedented three World Cup championships and the all-time scoring record with 1
283 goals. Since retiring he has traveled the world as soccer s global ambassador
relentlessly promoting the positive ways soccer can transform young men and women struggling
communities even entire nations. This is Pelé s legacy his way of passing on everything he s
learned and inspiring a new generation. In Why Soccer Matters Pelé details his ambitious goals
for the future of the sport and by extension the world.
