The footballer has revealed some things about his personal life in the new documentary set to be released this year.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento also known as Pelé is labeled "the greatest" by FIFA. As per IFFHS, he has 541 goals in 560 games under his belt. He also has a Guinness World Record of scoring 1279 goals in 1363 games, including friendlies. Many future players have idolized him, and even the ones who don't really follow the sport are familiar with his name. But his glorious career was not the only thing Pelé was known for. Some might argue that his scandalous personal life was just as interesting.
The footballer has had a fair share of problems with news of infidelity. Even though Pelé has been married thrice, the fact that he was a huge womanizer was never hidden from anyone. But the man has admitted himself that he had an affair with a lot of women, and had many children as well, but he didn't know they existed until later, reported The Sun.
In the new documentary, Pele, which is set to release later this year in 2021, the legendary sportsman revealed a lot of intimate details. “In all honesty, I’ve had a few affairs, some of which resulted in children, but I’ve only learned about them later.” He claimed that he did confess to his wives and girlfriends that he was unfaithful.
“My first wife, first girlfriend, knew about it. I never lied,” he said. A 57-year-old former model, Maria da Graca Xuxa who dated Pelé when she was 17 also revealed a few things about the football star. “He said it was an open relationship, but open only to him.”
Pelé had seven known children, but if he is to be believed, there might be more. Sandra Machado was one of his children he refused to accept as his own, even after the court ruled in 1996 that she was his blood. Five of his kids: Kelly, 54, Edinho, 50, Jennifer, 42, and twins Joshua and Celeste, 24, were from his first two marriages with Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and Assiria Lemos Seixas.
Machado passed away in 2006 at the age of 42 because of cancer. According to ESPN, her mother Anizia Machado was a maid who had an affair with the footballer while he was playing in Santos, Brazil. She published a book in 1998 detailing her mother's affair with Pelé. After fighting a case for five years, she won the right to use his surname.
However, the football star refused to attend her funeral after her death to cancer. His spokesperson at the time said that he “will send a wreath in the name of his family….he prefers to pray at home.”
He also had another daughter as a result of his affair. His daughter Flavia was born after his relationship with journalist Lenita Kurtz in 1968.
Pelé's first marriage to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholb lasted from 1966 to 1982. They became parents to three children. After their divorce, the footballer walked down the aisle with gospel singer Assíria Lemos in 1994, who then went on to give birth to the twins in 1996. They were married for 15 years, until the couple divorced in 2008, as per Sports Casting.
Years later in 2016, the footballer legend remarried again, at the age of 80. He said "I do" with the then 50-year-old businesswoman Marcia Cibele Aoki, after dating her for six years, according to The Belfast Telegraph. The two had first met in the mid-1980s, and reignited the flame decades later, ending in marriage. Pelé called his third wife his "definite love" on social media.
One of his most famous affairs was with model and TV host Xuxa. Remezcla reported that the two were together from 1981 to 1986. Even though the two had a 23-year age gap with Xuxa being mere 17 years old when Pelé was 40, it didn't bother the couple. He spoke about it in his autobiography, Pele: The Autobiography, as well. He wrote that his relationship with Xuxa was not serious as they lived in different cities. He stressed that their bond was more of friendship than any kind of relationship.
Talking about his affairs, the legend once said that he was just being “a normal youth” who “had many adventures.”
And many adventures he did have. Those who say the footballer legend's career is as colorful as his time on the field wouldn't be wrong. From the many goals he scored while wearing the jersey to the many, many affairs and marriages he had from the resulting fame are noteworthy, to say the least.
References:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/14082130/pele-affairs-didnt-know-how-many-kids-he-had/
http://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=soccer&id=2629482
https://www.sportscasting.com/mike-tysons-2-divorces-cost-him-over-16-million/
https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/a-look-back-at-xuxa-and-peles-controversial-relationship/
Cover image source: Source: Getty Images | Photos by (L) Handout, (R) Peter Macdiarmid
