Football Records & Exhibits

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Tag: #brazil

Pelé's Accidental Number Ten — How an Administrative Oversight Created Football's Most Prestigious Shirt

Kit History

0.0σ1958 World Cup

Pelé's Accidental Number Ten — How an Administrative Oversight Created Football's Most Prestigious Shirt

The association of the Number Ten shirt with elite playmaking is largely due to an administrative oversight by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) ahead of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. The CBF failed to submit a list of designated player numbers to the tournament organizers. Consequently, Lorenzo Villizzio, a Uruguayan FIFA official, assigned numbers 1 through 22 to the squad completely at random. This arbitrary allocation resulted in goalkeeper Gilmar receiving the Number Three shirt, while Pelé, an unproven 17-year-old substitute, was assigned the Number Ten. Pelé's brilliant performances during the tournament — scoring a hat-trick in the semi-final and two goals in the final — turned this random designation into the most prestigious number in the sport. What began as an administrative accident became the symbol of creative genius in football.

1958 World CupRead Account →

Pelé Wins Three FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970)

World Cup Records

5.0σ1958, 1962, 1970

Pelé Wins Three FIFA World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970)

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known worldwide as Pelé, is the only footballer to win three FIFA World Cups. He burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old at Sweden 1958, scoring a brace in the final. He added a second medal in 1962 and captained Brazil to their third triumph in Mexico 1970, cementing his status as the most decorated player in World Cup history.

1958, 1962, 1970Read Account →

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