Pele’s Name

Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)
Think about this question when you watch the video for the first time:
How have Pele’s feelings about his name changed during his life?
[afterwards read the text to check your understanding]

Background: This is from an interview with Pele in 2011


Do you mind being known as Pele rather than your real name?

My name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. And, er, when I was young… nine years, ten years old, I used to fight, I didn’t like people call me Pele [I didn’t like people calling me Pele]. I didn’t know exactly what [it] means [meant]. My name is Edson, because after Thomas Edson [Edison]. You know, the engineer [inventor] of the light. I was very proud about [of] that. So my father was a soccer player from [who played for] ?Minergerise?, he went to Bauru Interland[?] of Sau Paulo, I was nine-to-ten years old [nine or ten years old]. Then I start[ed] to play with the kids there. I don’t know if he have some players [if there were some players] in ?Minergerise?, so, er, some name I did wrong [said/pronounced wrong]*. And then the kids start[ed] to call me ‘Pele, Pele!’. I said, ‘No! My name is Edson!’. Then I went to school. I fight [got into fights] in the classroom. Then I got two days suspended [got suspended for two days] because I fight [got into a fight] with a boy because he called me Pele. Then the whole school start[ed] to call me Pele. Then I could not change [this]. But [it] was a gift of God [gift from God], because now I love ???. It’s easy to remember, it’s easy to write. It is a name who is staying [which is known] all over the world.

*Pele isn’t really sure how he got his nickname, but one story is that he mispronounced the name of one of his favourite football players ‘Bele’.

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