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Pelé, the iconic Brazilian footballer often referred to as "The King," led a personal life that was as complex as it was storied. Officially the father of seven children, his relationships and family history were marked by both recognition and controversy. While not as tumultuous as the life of his Argentine rival Diego Maradona, Pelé's private life had its share of grey areas.
Pelé’s first marriage to Rosemeri Cholbi in 1966 resulted in three children: daughters Kely Cristina (born 1967) and Jennifer (1978), and son Edinho (1970). However, during this period, Pelé fathered another child, Flavia, in 1968 through an extramarital affair with journalist Lenita Kurtz. Unlike some other cases, he publicly acknowledged Flavia in 2002.
Another controversy surrounded Sandra Machado, born in 1964 from an affair with a housekeeper. Despite a five-year legal battle ending in 1996, which legally recognized Sandra as his daughter, Pelé never accepted her. Sandra later authored a book titled The Girl That the King Did Not Want, highlighting her struggles. Tragically, she passed away from breast cancer in 2006, at the age of 42. Her children accused Pelé of abandoning them "intellectually, morally, and materially."
Pelé was often described as an absent father, particularly to the children from his first marriage. Edinho, his only son from this union, shared in a 2020 interview that he rarely saw his father during his childhood in the United States. Their relationship improved when Edinho returned to Brazil at age 16. Despite this reconciliation, Edinho made headlines for legal troubles, including a 13-year prison sentence for laundering money linked to drug trafficking. He later transitioned to a career in football management and is now the technical director of Londrina club in Paraná.
In 1994, Pelé married Assiria Lemos Seixas, a psychologist and gospel singer. The couple had twins, Joshua and Celeste, in 1996. However, their 13-year marriage ended in divorce, and in 2020, Seixas pursued legal action against Pelé for unpaid child support.
At age 75, Pelé found what he described as "definitive love" with Marcia Cibele Aoki, a businesswoman 33 years his junior. The couple married in 2016 after reconnecting in São Paulo years after first meeting in New York during the 1980s.
While Pelé’s achievements on the field solidified his status as a global sports icon, his personal life revealed a man navigating complex relationships, familial disputes, and evolving dynamics. Through it all, his legacy remains an indelible part of football history.
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