Pelé

Early years

Pelé started playing at the youth teams of Boavista FC, then switched to S.C. Salgueiros also in his hometown of Porto. The financial crisis of the latter eventually led to the administrative descent to the Segunda Liga; subsequently, the prohibition of signing professional players led to almost every player in the squad leaving. In the 2004–05 season, Salgueiros' senior squad was constituted primarily of 16 and 17-year-old youth players, including Pelé. Despite winning only one game and drawing other two games during the entire campaign, his performances caught attention. Along with teammate Joel, Pelé signed for S.L. Benfica in a controversial free transfer, as the players were to move to Boavista which was willing to financially help Salgueiros. Instead, Benfica signed the players and the Paranhos club did not receive any compensation.

Vitória Guimarães

Pelé joined Benfica B for 2005–06, but did not manage to play regularly, leaving in December 2005 to sign for Vitória S.C. in Guimarães. At start of the following campaign, with the club playing in the second division for the first time in decades, he was a regular on the first team, but a poor start and a managerial change led him to the bench more often, as he finished the season with 11 league appearances and the team achieved promotion to the Primeira Liga.

Inter Milan

In August 2007, Pelé was signed by Inter Milan for €1.5 million, penning a five-year contract. He made his…

Pelé was called to the Portugal under-20 team on several occasions, playing in the 2007 Toulon Tournament and that year's FIFA World Cup. Shortly after, he began appearing for the under-21s.

Belenenses

Born in Agualva-Cacém to Bissau-Guinean parents, Pelé started his career with local Belenenses. He made his first-team – and Primeira Liga – debut on 11 January 2009, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win against Rio Ave. Much more used in his first full season (seven starts, 642 minutes of action), Pelé's team would nonetheless suffer relegation, ranking second-bottom.

Italy

On 4 January 2011, after having been linked to the club in September 2010, Pelé was signed by Serie A side Genoa, with the deal being made effective in the summer. However, he only appeared for the under-20 reserves during his spell. On 30 August 2011, Pelé was exchanged with AC Milan's Mario Sampirisi, both in a co-ownership deal. He played as an overage player (only four players born in 1991 were allowed that season) for the B team in his first year.

Loans

On 31 July 2012, Pelé was loaned out to Arsenal Kyiv in the Ukrainian Premier League. He spent the following campaign in the same situation, with Olhanense back in his homeland. After a successful loan spell at Belenenses, where he scored seven competitive goals to help his team finish in sixth position and qualify for the UEFA Europa League, Pelé attracted the interest of Benfica, who signed him for 2015–16. He was immediately loaned to Paços de Ferreira, and on 31 January 2017, still owned by the former, joined Feirense also in the Portuguese top flight.

Rio Ave

On 29 June 2017, Pelé signed…

Pelé played twice for Portugal in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification, in both games as a substitute, but was not selected for either the final tournament or the elite qualifying phase. He was then picked for a warm-up friendly before the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, a 3–3 draw with France, and appeared in all the matches in the finals in Colombia as the nation finished in second position. Pelé made his debut for Guinea-Bissau on 10 June 2017, starting in a 1–0 win over Namibia for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He was selected by manager Baciro Candé for the finals in Egypt, playing three games in a group-stage exit. Also part of the squad for the 2021 tournament, Pelé missed a penalty in the last minutes of the 0–0 draw against Sudan in Garoua.

Club

As of 30 May 2021

International

Scores and results list Guinea-Bissau's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pelé goal.

Inter Milan

Serie A: 2007–08 Supercoppa Italiana: 2008 Porto

Primeira Liga: 2008–09 Taça de Portugal: 2008–09 Olympiacos

Super League Greece: 2013–14

Portugal U20

FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up: 2011 Orders

Knight of the Order of Prince Henry