Pelé made his debut for the Brazilian national team at age 16. He first played for Brazil on July 7, 1957, against Argentina at the Maracanã Stadium, entering a match Brazil lost 2–1.
Pelé scored Brazil’s only goal that day, becoming the youngest player to score for the senior national team. His debut came just months after he had established himself at Santos, where he had begun playing senior football at 15.
His international career quickly became historic. At the 1958 World Cup, Pelé was still only 17 when he helped Brazil win its first world title. He scored six goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick against France in the semi-final and two goals in the final against Sweden.
A common mix-up is confusing his Brazil debut at 16 with his Santos debut at 15, or with his first World Cup appearance at 17. These were three separate milestones in his rapid rise.