He also led Bauru Athletic Club juniors to three state youth championships, establishing himself as a bright talent.
In 1956, his coach, Waldemar de Brito, took him to the port city of Santos to try out for Santos FC, a professional team.
Pele playing for Santos FC
De Brito was already convinced of his protege's abilities, boasting to the Santos directors that Pele would be the best footballer in the world.
Pele more than lived up to the boast, impressing Santos who offered him a contract in June 1956. He was just 15 years old.
Top scorer
A year later, he was selected for the Santos senior team and scored the first of his many career goals in his opening match.
He quickly earned a starting place in the side and in his first year became the league's top scorer.
Just 10 months after signing as a professional, Pele was called up by the Brazilian national team.
Pele was still a teenager when he was first picked to play for Brazil
He made his international debut against Argentina at the Maracana, where Brazil lost 2-1.
Their goal was scored by a 16-year-old Pele, making him the youngest player to score in an international.
His hopes of playing for Brazil in the 1958 World Cup seemed to have been dashed when he suffered a knee injury.
But his teammates pressured the management to select him and he made his World Cup debut against the USSR.
Hat-trick
Inevitably, he became the youngest player to score a World Cup goal, putting one past Wales in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-final, Brazil was leading 2-1 against France when Pele scored a second-half hat-trick to put the match beyond doubt.
It seemed he could do no wrong as he stroked two goals past Sweden in the final, as Brazil won 5-2.
Back in Brazil, Pele helped Santos win Sao Paulo's top league competition in 1958, and he finished the season as the top scorer.
Five years later, he was made an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
After being appointed Sports Minister by Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in 1995, Pele took a leading role in attempts to end corruption in Brazilian football. Pele's Law - passed in 1998 - was credited with modernising the sport's governance in the country.
But he quit his Unesco role after being accused of corrupt practices, although no proof was found.
And he played a major part in Rio de Janeiro's successful bid for the 2016 Olympics, appearing at the closing session of the 2012 London Games for the handover to Rio.
In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement award at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year event.
Pele married Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi in 1966, and the couple had two daughters and a son. They divorced in 1982 after Pele was linked with the model and film star Xuxa.
He was married for a second time to a singer, Assiria Lemos Seixas. The couple had twins but later separated.
In 2016, he married Marcia Cibele Aoki, a Japanese-Brazilian businesswoman, whom he first met in 1980.
There were claims that other children had been born as a result of affairs, but the star steadfastly refused to acknowledge them.
In recent years, the star was frequently dogged by health problems. In September 2021 he had a tumour removed from his colon and had been receiving chemotherapy for over a year before his death.
But he tackled the challenges with typical good humour. In an Instagram post before entering the hospital for the final time in November 2022, the star joked that he was checking in for his "monthly visit".
He also thanked organisers at the Qatar World Cup, where a building was illuminated with the words: "Get Well Soon, Pele."
Global brand
He once even joked that there were only three truly international brands: Jesus, Coca Cola and Pele.
He was one of those rare figures who transcended his sport to become known across the world.
In later life, he struggled to overcome the effects of a hip operation: appeared in a wheelchair and was often unable to walk.
But in his heyday, his sheer athleticism brought pleasure to millions; his innate talent won him the respect of teammates and opponents alike.
The great Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskas refused even to classify Pele as merely a player. "Pele was above that," he said.
But it was Nelson Mandela who probably best summed up what made Pele such a star.
"To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man."