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

News Network
December 30, 2022

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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

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 28,2025

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Udupi district transformed into a sea of saffron and celebration on Friday, November 28, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow swept through the coastal temple town. Thousands of residents lined the streets, turning the event into a vibrant public spectacle filled with cheers, flags, and festive energy.

The procession route—from the helipad to the historic Sri Krishna Math—was decked with buntings, saffron flags, and multilayered security barricades. One of the district’s largest-ever security deployments was put in place for the high-profile visit, with over 3,000 police personnel on duty. The arrangement included ten SPs, 27 DSPs, 49 inspectors, 127 sub-inspectors, 232 assistant sub-inspectors, 1,608 constables, and 39 women staff.

Six platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police, six Quick Response Teams, bomb detection units, and dog squads were stationed across Udupi. Enhanced surveillance covered Adi Udupi, Bannanje bus stand, and the Sri Krishna Math parking zone, with combing operations carried out along the roadshow corridor.

At the 800-year-old Sri Krishna Math, preparations reached a ceremonial peak. Paryaya Puttige Math seer Sugunendra Teertha Swamiji said the Prime Minister would take part in the Laksha Kantha Geetha Parayana, a mass chanting of the Bhagavad Gita by one lakh devotees, and inaugurate the new Suvarna Teertha Mantapa.

“He will first offer floral tributes to saint-poet Kanakadasa and then unveil the golden covering over the Kanakana Kindi,” the seer said.

The Prime Minister will also receive a Poorna Kumbha welcome and have darshan of Lord Sri Krishna, Mukhyaprana Devaru, and the Suvarna Paduke. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister Bairathi Suresh, Dharmadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade, and seers from the Ashta Maths are expected to join the ceremony.

Ahead of his arrival, the Prime Minister posted on X that he felt “honoured” to attend the spiritually significant gathering. “This is a special occasion that brings together people from different sections of society for a recital of the Gita. This Matha has a very special significance in our cultural life,” he wrote, noting the institution’s long-standing legacy rooted in the teachings of Sri Madhvacharya.

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News Network
December 1,2025

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Udupi, Dec 1: A horrific case of alleged rape has unfolded in Udupi, where a worker from a Hindutva organisation, previously arrested and released on bail for harassing a young woman, is now accused of waylaying and sexually assaulting her.

The arrested individual has been identified as Pradeep Poojary (26), a member of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's Nairkode unit in Perdur.

Poojary had allegedly been relentlessly harassing the young woman, pressuring her to marry him. When she bravely stood up to him and refused his demands, she filed a formal complaint at the Hiriyadka police station. He was subsequently arrested in that initial harassment case but was later granted bail.

According to police reports, driven by the same malicious grudge, Poojary allegedly intercepted the woman again on November 29. While she was walking through a deserted area, the accused is claimed to have threatened her by grabbing her neck. When she again refused to marry him, he allegedly proceeded to rape her.

The survivor immediately informed her family about the traumatic assault. Following this, her parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi women’s police station.

Police arrested Poojary again and produced him before the court. He has since been remanded to judicial custody.

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