Pele, eternal king of the beautiful game

Pele was the best-loved footballer of his or any other generation, the eternal master of the beautiful game.

READ | Brazilian football legend Pele dead at 82

He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, his sumptuous range of skills making him the embodiment of his country's golden age of football.

When he finally retired in 1977, Pele had scored more than 1,000 goals.

He scored 77 for Brazil, a mark only equalled at the recent World Cup by Neymar.

But his impact on his sport went far beyond the pitch as he also became a money-making phenomenon, lending his name to sportswear, credit cards and watches among an array of products.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in October 1940, Pele played his first game for Santos as a 15-year-old in 1956.

He earned a call-up to the national team a year later, scoring on his debut against Argentina. In 1958 he was picked for the World Cup in Sweden.

His participation at the finals had been a matter of fierce debate in Brazil, with many critics questioning whether the slender-framed teenager was ready for the physical demands of the tournament.

Nursing a knee injury on arrival in Sweden, Pele was unavailable for Brazil's opening two matches.

He might also have been forced to sit out their third, against the Soviet Union, had coach Vicente Feola decided to heed the advice of a team psychologist who had urged that Pele was "infantile" and not fit for duty.

In the event Feola opted to play the youngster, and it paid off. Working in tandem with Garrincha and his famously bent legs, Pele gave a virtuoso display as the Soviets were vanquished 2-0.

Once in the team, Pele made it impossible for him to be removed. A winning goal in the quarter-final against Wales and a hat-trick in the 5-2