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OTD in 1956, 15-year-old Pele scored on his debut for Santos

  /  Geralt

On this day in 1956, a 15-year-old Brazilian wonderkid called Edson Arantes do Nascimento scored on his debut for Santos, you might know him as Pelé.

In 1956, de Brito took Pelé to Santos, an industrial and port city located near São Paulo, to try out for professional club Santos FC, telling the directors at Santos that the 15-year-old would be "the greatest football player in the world."

Pelé impressed Santos coach Lula during his trial at the Estádio Vila Belmiro, and he signed a professional contract with the club in June 1956. Pelé was highly promoted in the local media as a future superstar. He made his senior team debut on 7 September 1956 at the age of 15 against Corinthians Santo Andre and had an impressive performance in a 7–1 victory, scoring the first goal in his prolific career during the match.

Related: SantosPelé