Brazilian footballer Pele is one of the greatest sportsmen of all time. This beautifully illustrated and lyrically written book tells the inspiring story of how his dream of playing football for his country began as he polished ths shoes of spectators going into Rio de Janeiro's stadium. Growing up in a poor district of Rio, Pele did not have a ball but would kick about with anything to hand - a grapefruit was a particular favourite. His father, a professional footballer himself, spotted his talent, but it was the hugely anticipated World Cup final between Brazil and Uruguay to be played in Rio itself that gripped his imagination. Too poor to afford tickets, he and his family listened to the radio commentary in despair as Uruguay won the match. Pele's father was in tears and at that Pele determined that he would one day lead the Brazilian team to World Cup victory. Many years later he did just that not once but three times.

 

This book is part of a book series called Young Heroes .

There are 40 pages in this book. This book was published 2010 by Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd .

Around half of the Anholts' titles are illustrated by Catherine, including the Chimp and Zee serie Linzi West lives and works in Lyme Regis where she runs an artists' group. Her work has been used for hundreds of designs for greetings cards and gift wrap. These titles, which are her first children's books, are inspired by her little boy, Joseph.