Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in Três Corações, Brazil, in 1940. You probably know him better as Pelé.
In 1958, at the age of 17, he became the youngest footballer to represent his country at the Fifa World Cup finals, a record that stood until 1982.
In 1999, he was voted footballer of the century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. The same year, he was voted Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Commission
He won three World Cups with Brazil, during a glittering career, and remains his country’s highest goalscorer with 77 goals in 91 appearances.
We caught up with the sporting superstar for a chat about his life and illustrious career, and Pelé: Birth of a Legend, a dramatised biopic about his early life, which is in cinemas now.
It’s almost surreal to find myself talking to you – what is it like to be Pelé? Do you ever wake up in the morning and pinch yourself and say “Woah – I’m Pelé”?
First of all, it’s a big pleasure for me to be here and to talk with people – I want to be best for all these people that love me. Even myself I don’t know why (they do), I’m just grateful for that.
The film Pelé: Birth of a Legend takes place at an incredible point in history, during the years leading up to Brazil's 1958 World Cup win. It was a time when Brazil was becoming a footballing power, but also one in which it emerged as a country in its own right after colonialism and the Second World War – and Pelé became a symbol of that. Did you have any notion at the time of the historical importance of the era?
I was very young. At that time I just wanted to be one of the players that was selected for the World Cup. Just to be one of the players that was selected from Brazil to go to Sweden (for the 1958 World Cup finals) was a big responsibility because nobody knew at that time what Brazilian football was. It wasn’t on TV like today – and I thank God for that. I was 17 years old and we won the World Cup and I became a champion. It was a dream.
You have a cameo role in Pelé: Birth of a Legend – but this is not the first film you have appeared in, or been the subject of. How does this one measure up?
This is the first time we made a film where they cover my family. I’ve been in other films with some great names – with (Sylvester) Stallone, with Max von Sydow, with Michael Caine – but this is the first one that tells my history, my beginnings, my family, how I had to clean shoes to help my father.
After so many years, the football, the World Cup, people just know about Pelé the champion – now they’re going to know the rest.
You mentioned Stallone, Caine and von Sydow, which brings us neatly to what is possibly the greatest football film ever made – Escape to Victory, in which you and a host of other international footballers starred with them in a prisoner-of-war drama. How was it to appear as a footballer alongside not only such a stellar cast of actors, but some incredible fellow footballers, too? Who was more overawed?
I'm very proud to have been part of this great film. We had others who knew about football and made films, but nothing like Victory. It was a complete film about football, and I learnt so much from those great artists.
There is a sense that comes across at one point in Birth of a Legend that you were not very keen on the nickname Pelé at first.
It was difficult to understand why, when people first called me it. I hated it in the beginning. Pelé came as a mistake and the kids started to tease me.
I was very proud when I was young because my mother and father gave me the name Edson, after Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb. I was born at the same time as the light came to Minas Gerais, where I was born, so they named me Edson and I was very proud.
But then some kids when we started to play football in the street, they called me Pelé. I honestly don’t know why or what it meant. I don’t know if it was a mistake or what happened.
I tried to tell everybody: “My name is Edson, I don’t like Pelé.” That’s probably why I got stuck with it.
cnewbould@thenational.ae
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Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
