Throughout his illustrious career both on and off the pitch , Pele has remained a true ambassador of the game . Making his club debut for Santos at the age of 15 in 1956 , he remained with the club until 1974 . Although facts and figures could never do justice to the majesty that was Pele , his 1,281 goals in all competitions certainly serve to prove the point . He helped lead Santos to nine State Championships , and claimed two consecutive World Club Championships in 1962 and 1963 .
There is no player who can claim greater success on the world stage . Pele made his international debut at the tender age of 16 . A year later and his teammates pressured the national coaching staff to include the 17-yearold in the 1958 World Cup squad . Kept out of the majority of the tournament due to injury , Pele came on in Brazil ' s pool match against the Soviet Union . In the quarterfinals , Pele scored the winner against Wales , a hat trick in the semifinals against France , and two in the final against Sweden , Brazil won the 1958 World Cup ... and a star was born . Out with injury for the 1962 World Cup , Pele returned to