King Pele’s incredible numbers: Hundreds of goals and 3 World Cups

News Network
December 30, 2022

pelekick.jpg

Pele, the man they called O Rei, the King, passed away on Thursday, aged 82, after a drawn-out battle with illness in Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital. Synonymous with the term 'o jogo bonito', the beautiful game, he transcended the sport like none before or since.

Arguably the greatest footballer of all time, his legacy goes well beyond numbers. It is also a fact that so much of his career went unrecorded: For instance, he was known to be a great playmaker (sample that assist to Carlos Alberto in the 1970 World Cup final) but there is almost no official assist data available.

What we do have is more than enough, though, to paint the picture of the man who will always remain the benchmark for all football:

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele: 1940-2022

1

Pele is the only man to win three FIFA World Cups. He won in 1958, 1962 and 1970

1281

Pele scored a record 1281 goals in 1363 games (including 'non-official' games). It's important to consider these games because of the number of high-quality 'friendlies' Santos played around the world in that era. There are quite a few 'total-goal-tallies' floating around, but this one from the IFFHS is the most accepted.

643

If we take only official goals, though... he scored 643 official goals for Santos, the second most of all-time by a player with a single club (only behind Lionel Messi's 672 for Barcelona).

6, 2, 2

Pele won six Brazilian titles, two Copa Libertadores titles and two Intercontinental Cups with Santos (1962 & 1963)

1

He also won the 1977 NASL title with the New York Cosmos, scoring 64 goals in three seasons (aged 35-37).

12

Pele ended his World Cup career in 1970 as the player with the second most goals in Men's World Cup history (12, 1 behind France's Just Fontaine). He scored 6 in 1958, 1 in 1962, 1 in 1966 and 4 in 1970. He is now tied-6th highest with Kylian Mbappe. (Above them are Fontaine, Lionel Messi, Gerd Muller, Ronaldo Nazario and Miroslav Klose)

1/5

Pele is 1 of 5 players to score in 4 FIFA Men's World Cups, along with Cristiano Ronaldo (5), Messi, Klose, and Uwe Seeler.

77

Pele scored 77 goals for Brazil, in just 92 matches. He was Brazil's sole top-scorer for over 60 years (1962-2022) until he was tied by Neymar during the 2022 World Cup. Neymar did take 32 more appearances to hit that mark, though.

80.43%

Of the 92 matches he played, Brazil won 67, drew 14 and lost just 11 games; that's a win percentage of 80.43%. It increased when he and Garrincha were on the field... Brazil never lost a match when they fielded the two geniuses.

0.84

Pele's goals per game rate of 0.84 is the best in Brazil's national team history (min. 30 goals). For context, Neymar's 77 came at 0.62 and Ronaldo's 62 came at 0.63.

16

He made his Brazil debut aged... 16, and played his last match for them aged 31 (in 1971).

17+

Pele was the youngest player at the World Cup to score a goal (17 years, 239 days), score a hat trick (17 years, 244 days), and score in a final (17 years 249 days). He truly lit up Sweden in 1958.

86%

This is an incredible number. Of all players to have made more than 10 World Cup appearances, Pele has the best win percentage (14 games, 12 wins @ 86%).

72.8%

In 2000, he was named FIFA Player of the Century (for the 20th Century), receiving nearly 3/4 of the vote from FIFA officials, journalists, and coaches (72.8%). Diego Maradona won the internet portion of the voting, and so the two were named Co-Players of the Century.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
November 26,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 26: Mangaluru East police have registered a case following a sophisticated online fraud where a 57-year-old local resident was allegedly cheated out of ₹13.4 lakh after being targeted on Facebook.

The scam began in February when the complainant, while browsing Facebook reels, was contacted by a woman identifying herself as "Lillian Mary George" from London. After establishing a chat relationship, the woman claimed she would visit India in November and bring a significant sum of money.

The trap was sprung on November 15, when the victim received a call from a woman named "Sonali Gupta," who claimed Lillian had arrived at Mumbai International Airport but was detained by customs. The fraudsters convinced the man that Lillian was carrying £25,000 (about ₹26 lakh) in traveller’s cheques and 1 kg of gold (valued at around ₹30 lakh).

Under the pretense of clearing these items, the victim was asked to make numerous online transfers between November 15 and 18 for various bogus charges, including:

•    "Pounds exchange registration"
•    "Customs declaration issues"
•    "Discount charges"
•    "Money-laundering charges"

Believing the fictitious story, the complainant transferred the cumulative sum of ₹13.4 lakh to various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. He realised he was cheated when the culprits later promised a refund within two days but stopped answering his calls. The Mangaluru East police are now investigating the case, which highlights the continuing threat of transnational cyber fraud using social engineering and promises of fictitious wealth.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet crashed on Friday, November 21, afternoon during its aerial demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, plunging to the ground at around 2:10 pm local time while performing a manoeuvre before thousands of spectators.

The IAF confirmed the incident, stating that a Tejas aircraft participating in the show had crashed and that further details were being gathered. An Air Force spokesperson said more information would be shared after initial assessments.

The crash sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky near the airport, causing panic among visitors, including families and children who had gathered to watch the display. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the pilot managed to eject before the aircraft went down. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene, and officials have not released information on casualties or damage so far.

The Tejas is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter aircraft developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Designed for versatility, it is capable of offensive air support, close combat, ground attack missions and maritime operations. The aircraft family includes single-seat fighters and twin-seat trainers for both the Air Force and Navy.

HAL describes the latest version, the LCA Mk1A, as the most advanced in the series, featuring an AESA radar, an upgraded electronic warfare suite with radar-warning and self-protection jamming, smart multifunction displays, a digital map generator, a combined interrogator–transponder system and a modern radio altimeter. These enhancements significantly improve the aircraft’s combat capability and survivability.

Further updates from IAF and UAE authorities are awaited.

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