The Brazilian goalkeeper whose name inspired Pelé’s nickname was Bilé. Before becoming globally famous, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was known to his family as Dico. As a boy, he admired a goalkeeper named Bilé, who played for Vasco da Gama in São Lourenço, Minas Gerais.
Edson reportedly mispronounced Bilé’s name as a child. Other children repeated the altered pronunciation and began calling him “Pelé.” He disliked the nickname at first, but it eventually became one of the most recognizable names in sports history.
The story is sometimes confused with the idea that “Pelé” has a special meaning in Portuguese. It does not function as a literal translation of his birth name; it developed from a childhood mispronunciation. Pelé later became known as “O Rei,” meaning “The King,” a title reflecting his extraordinary career with Santos, Brazil, and the New York Cosmos.