7 One More Championship

CHAPTER 7 One More Championship As the 1970 World Cup approached, Pelé reconsidered playing for Brazil. The poor sportsmanship of the last Cup tournament had concerned him. But if Pelé played for his national team now, he would become one of a handful of players ever to take part in four World Cups. By this time, even more people than usual were able to watch Pelé. This was the first World Cup to be broadcast live in color on TV. More than a billion people were now watching the greatest player ever! Some had only read about him or seen grainy black-and-white highlights. In front of this huge audience, Pelé and Brazil put on an amazing show of soccer.

Pelé scored a goal in the team's first game, a win over Czechoslovakia. He then made a pass that led to the only goal in Brazil's 1–0 win over England. Victories over Peru, Romania, and Uruguay sent Brazil to the final game against Italy. Early in that game, Pelé rose above a defender to hit the ball with his head. Pelé smacked the ball off his forehead and into the goal. As he had done more than one thousand times before, he raced around the field, celebrating with his

teammates. The pictures of that celebration in Mexico were now being shared around the world. The celebration continued after Brazil won the game and their third World Cup, beating Italy 4–1. Once again, Pelé's teammates and some fans carried him off the field on their shoulders.

Before the big party that night, Pelé went back to the dressing room. He took time to pray and thank God for all that had happened. Once back in Brazil, the team enjoyed more parades and parties. Finally, Pelé left the celebrations behind. He wanted to be back in Santos with Rosemeri, who was pregnant. In August, their son, Edson, was born. But everyone called him by his nickname: Edinho. After the 1970 World Cup, Pelé wanted to go back and finish high school. He wanted to eventually go to college. As he traveled more and more, he realized how important education was. He wanted to set an example for his children. But to earn a spot at a university, he had to pass some tough tests. He worked with teachers and studied hard.

Pelé was accepted at the University of Santos in the fall of 1970. Over the next three years, he took classes in between playing games for Santos and earned a degree in physical education. During this time, he decided to stop playing for Brazil's national team for good. After a game on July 18, 1971, he took off his bright yellow jersey for the final time. He ran a lap around the field to thank the 180,000 people who had packed the stadium.

In his final years with Santos, he made sure to use his fame to help other players. For many years, pro soccer players in Brazil were not paid anything near what they deserved. They were also not protected as other workers were. If a player was injured, some teams would not even pay their medical bills. Pelé and other star players met with government officials to try to