Pele Shines: Brazil Wins First World Cup
Seventeen-year-old Pele scored two goals in Brazil's 5-2 victory over Sweden in the 1958 FIFA World Cup final in Stockholm on June 29, 1958. His first goal, a lob over a defender followed by a volley, is considered one of the greatest World Cup goals ever scored. Pele had already become the youngest World Cup goal-scorer in the tournament's quarterfinal and scored a hat trick in the semifinal against France. Brazil's victory was their first World Cup title and announced them as the dominant force in world football. The team's fluid, attacking 4-2-4 formation revolutionized tactical thinking. Pele went on to win two more World Cups (1962, though injured early, and 1970) and scored a career total of 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches, a record that has never been matched.
June 29, 1958
68 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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