Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘Brazil ’70: The Third Star’ exploring the way a national soccer team took to the field with big dreams and bigger obstacles in 1970, we get an insight into how they created history. The Brazilians fought hard to become the first-ever 3-time world champions, and Edson “Pelé” Arantes do Nascimento set a record of his own by being part of all 3 winning squads. It thus comes as no surprise that people often overlook his family life when discussing his achievements, but the truth is, he was actually a proud father of 7 children from his relationships.
Kely Nascimento Has Found a Balance Between Entertainment and Sports
Kely Christina Arantes do Nascimento was born on January 13, 1967, to Pelé and his first wife, Rosemeri dos Reis Chol bi, so she grew up witnessing her father’s unwavering dedication to soccer. That’s what inspired her to hone in on her passions, leading her to establish the Nascimento Foundation alongside her sisters to help kids reap the benefits of the arts and sports. The United Nations International School and Parsons School of Design graduate has since also evolved into a Consultant, Filmmaker, Gender Equality Advocate, Philanthropist, and Sports Expert.
Kely reportedly has significant experience in the world of photography and entrepreneurship, but the ex-Nascimento Foundation President’s primary role today is as a Public Speaker. The former Board Member at Beyond Sport and former Executive Advisor for the US Soccer Federation has actually given a TEDx Talk about trailblazing women in soccer. She has even helmed a documentary titled ‘Warriors of A Beautiful Game,’ all the while serving as the Founder-CEO of The Impact Game as well as the Co-Founder-Chief Impact Officer at Hadaf Global. Moreover, today, the New York resident is an Ambassador for the Global Goals World Cup, an Advisor for LEAD Edu, an Ambassador for Laureus, and a dedicated mother to her 4 children: Malcolm, Ruby, Enzo, and Ella.
Flávia Nascimento Continues to Carry Her Father’s Legacy
Flávia Arantes do Nascimento was born in 1968 to Pelé and Lenita Kurtz as the result of an alleged extramarital affair, but she has always been considered a part of her father’s legacy. Therefore, she continues to carry it on by supporting the sport he dedicated his entire life to, all the while also establishing a name for herself as a health/fitness enthusiast, social entrepreneur, and Advisory Board Member at Hospital Pequeno Príncipe. From what we can tell, the Paraná, Brazil resident even served on the Board of Trustees of the Little Prince Hospital at one point, all the while being a devoted family woman and public figure in her own right.
Sandra Nascimento Passed Away Due to Cancer in 2006
Born on August 24, 1964, in São Paulo, Brazil, Sandra Regina Machado Nascimento was the eldest child and daughter of Pelé, one he shared with a housemaid named Anisia Machado. However, he reportedly refused to acknowledge he had fathered her or submit to a DNA test for some concrete answers for decades, that is, until she sued him for the same in 1991. It took two years for the courts to confirm her parentage, which was upheld following the football icon’s appeal in 1996, enabling her to formally adopt his last name.
Sandra published a memoir titled ‘The Daughter the King Didn’t Want’ in 1998 before later filing another lawsuit against her father to modify her financial compensation, but her claims were denied. According to records, she eventually built a good life for herself as a wife, mother of 2, and Santos City Council member, but things changed on October 17, 2006. That’s when she sadly passed away from breast cancer at the Beneficência Portuguesa Hospital – she was just 42 years old.
Edinho “Edson” Nascimento Has Followed in His Father’s Footsteps
Born on August 27, 1970, to Pelé and Rosemeri Cholbi as their middle child, Edinho “Edson” Arantes do Nascimento knew early on that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Therefore, he turned professional at age 20 upon finding his calling as a goalkeeper. He later played for Santos, Portuguesa Santista, São Caetano, and Ponte Preta before retiring in 1999. He has since faced some legal troubles for a 2005 incident of drug trafficking and money laundering, for which he was handed a 33-year sentence in 2014, which was later reduced to 12 years and 10 months.
However, Edson remained part of the soccer world when Santos hired him as a Goalkeeping Coach in 2007, a role he proudly held until he was promoted to Assistant Coach in 2015. In the ensuing years, though, he moved across several clubs, including Mogi Mirim in 2015, Água Santa in 2016, Tricordiano in 2017, Santos U23 in 2020-2021, and Londrina, before resigning on February 5, 2023. By that point, his request to serve his term under an open regime had been granted 4 years earlier, meaning he is still technically incarcerated, serving the remainder of his sentence under an open regime, which allows him to live and work outside a prison facility.
Jennifer Nascimento is a Musician Who Leads a Private Life Today
The youngest child of Pelé and Rosemeri, Jennifer Cholby Arantes do Nascimento, was born in June 1978 in New York City, New York, while her father was playing for the New York Cosmos. However, unlike her parents and siblings, she has never been comfortable in the limelight, which is why she has always kept her experiences private. In fact, all we know about her current standing is that the first-generation New Yorker is a professional artist – she is a DJ by the name Tia Jenny, a producer, a rising Opera singer, and a writer. We should also mention that her favorite instrument to play is the tambourine because her father had taught her when she was still quite young, so she believes it is a way for them to remain connected.
Twins Joshua and Celeste Nascimento Still Share a Close Bond
It was on September 28, 1996, when twins Joshua and Celeste Arantes do Nascimento came into this world as the only children Pelé shared with psychologist/gospel singer Assíria Lemos Seixas. According to records, Joshua ultimately followed in his father’s and his elder brother’s footsteps, pursuing soccer throughout his youth and collegiate career, but things soon changed. The Brazilian trained with the Santos Club from the ages of 10 to 12, which is when he relocated to the US. He later enrolled at the University of Tampa and made the soccer team, but he gave it all up upon graduation due to injuries he had sustained over the years.
Joshua reportedly graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physiology & Human Performance, following which he chose to settle down in Orlando, Florida. It was there that he established himself as a fitness instructor, strength-conditioning expert, and soccer coach for the Golden Goal Soccer Academy. Since then, though, the health enthusiast has moved to Frisco, Texas, where he now serves as the Head of Performance for North Texas Soccer Club, a loving husband, and a kind father to an adorable little girl. On the other hand, Celeste has long preferred to keep her life experiences well away from prying eyes, not only for her own privacy but also for that of her loved ones. All we know about the travel enthusiast’s current standing is that she is also based in the US, where she is surrounded by her twin brother, friends, and genuine well-wishers.
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