Edson Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pele, died aged 82 on Thursday (29) after a battle with colon cancer. From humble beginnings but with a talent that made history, the former Brazilian national team star had a life full of challenges, achievements and love, and became a true symbol of Brazilian culture. In this gallery, we've rounded up some facts you probably didn't know about the life of the eternal king of football...

It's no secret that Pelé was a natural. From humble beginnings, he would take his mother's socks and fill them with newspapers so he could play football. At the age of eight, the star promised his father, Dondinho, that one day he would win a World Cup. And his promise was soon fulfilled: at the age of 17, Pelé made history by being part of the team that won Brazil's first World Cup in a thrilling final against Sweden in 1958. The star was Brazil's top scorer in the competition, scoring six goals, including a late winner in the decisive match, which ended 5-2.

Like almost everything in the history of the star player, the origin of the nickname Pelé is football-related. As a child, Edson Arantes do Nascimento used to watch his father's team-mate Bilé, whom he considered his idol, train as a goalkeeper. As he was very young, Edson could not pronounce the nickname correctly and ended up referring to his idol as Pilé. This mistake eventually led to the name that would become his trademark around the world.

One of the greatest curiosities of Pelé's career has to do, believe it or not, with his former dressing room at Vila Belmiro, home of Santos FC. Following his retirement, Pele’s locker room has never been opened again Pelé is the only one who had the key and Santos informed that they will never touch the locker or reveal what is inside.

If you think that scoring goals was Pelé's only talent on the pitch, you'd be wrong. As well as practising the famous footballing art with his feet, the top scorer also had to act as goalkeeper for Santos in four games to keep the team out of trouble. The star even admitted that he enjoyed playing in that position. The experience worked so well that he repeated the feat three more times during the 1960s and 1970s, playing against Gremio, Botafogo and Baltimore in the United States.

Pele was always passionate about the Beatles and dreamed of meeting John Lennon. Despite his fame, the long-awaited meeting with the musician only took place in 1975, when the football star was playing for the New York Cosmos. According to Pelé, he was enrolled in the same language school as the Beatles member and the two passed each other in the corridors. At the time, Pele was studying English, while Lennon was learning Japanese. The conversation, of course, was full of music and football.

Pele was known to be flirtatious and even joked on several occasions about having many children around the world. The player openly declared that he had several affairs and that his girlfriends and wives were always aware of his love affairs. One of his most famous relationships was with TV presenter Xuxa, with whom he spent six years. The artist later stated that Pelé considered the relationship to be "open". She said: "An important person for me, maybe my first love".

The player saw his personal life turned upside down when his first-born son, former goalkeeper Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, got into trouble with the courts. Pelé supported his son and even commented on the case: "God willing, justice will be done. There is not a shred of evidence against my son".

The player was the subject of controversy when he was friendly with the military Emilio Medici, with whom he even shook hands. He admitted that he always maintained a cordial relationship with the rulers because he was aware that speaking openly against the government could lead to reprisals.

It is no secret that there has always been a dispute between Brazilians and Argentinians over which player was, in fact, the best in history. The Argentinians, of course, say it is Maradona. But the rivalry between the two only really existed among fans. In real life, the two always maintained a good relationship. Pele even published a beautiful tribute last year when Maradona passed away, calling the star a "friend" and "incomparable". The Brazilian also said he hoped the two could "one day play a game in heaven".

Despite having talent to spare, Pelé had his moments of doubt with the game. After seeing Brazil go home in the group stage of the 1966 World Cup, he announced that he would not play in a World Cup tournament again. It took the involvement of the government, then controlled by a military dictatorship, to convince him to attend the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. He said: "At that time, I didn't want to be Pelé. I didn't like that. I prayed that this would be my last World Cup". That year, Brazil returned home with the Cup in his hands.