Published 22:20 IST, February 23rd 2021
Brazil football legend Pele admits having multiple affairs; being unfaithful to all wives
Pele went on to admit that he fathered so many children that he might not even be aware of their existence. He is said to have at least seven known children.
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Brazilian football legend and three-time World Cup winner Pele opened up candidly in his Netflix documentary where he admitted having multiple affairs 'more than he can count.'
According to British tabloid, The Sun, the football icon in his documentary says, "In all honesty, I’ve had a few affairs, some of which resulted in children, but I’ve only learned about them later."
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He also went on to admit that he fathered so many children that he might not even be aware of their existence. He is said to have at least seven known children. "My first wife, first girlfriend, knew about it. I never lied," Pele added.
The Brazilian football legend has fathered five kids from first two marriages — wives Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and Assiria Lemos Seixas — with kids Kelly (50 years old), Edinho (50), Jennifer (42), and twins Joshua and Celeste (24).
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Moreover, he is said to have fathered Sandra Machado whom he had initially refused to recognise as his child despite the court's ruling that said she was his daughter in 1966. Sandra, was the result of an illicit romance with housemaid Anisia Machado. She lost her battle to cancer in 2006. Apart from her, his other illicit child Flavia (52) was a result of an affair with journalist Lenita Kurtz in 1968.
He currently resides in Sao Paul with his third wife Marcia Aoki, who he married in 2016.
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The Brazilian icon's Netflix documentary, slated to release on February 23 looks back at the extraordinary period when Pele, the only player to win three World Cup titles, went from being a budding sports star in 1958 to a national icon amidst a radical and turbulent era in Brazilian history. Directed by David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas, the film charts Pele's remarkable journey to becoming the ‘King of Football’ and leading Brazil to their historic win at the 1970 World Cup.
The sports hero is hailed for his 1958 World Cup streak where he, at 17, scored the winner against Wales in the quarter-final, a hat-trick against France in the semi-final, and two against hosts Sweden in the final.
Updated 22:20 IST, February 23rd 2021