Pele

There are precious few athletes in the history of sport better recognised and more beloved than Pele. He remains the only player ever to have won the FIFA World Cup three times and is one of only a handful of men to have scored in the competition's final on two separate occasions. He found the net an astonishing 77 times in 91 matches for his nation. In 1959, he scored an eye-watering 127 goals. At his and Brazil's great zenith in 1970, Pele – alongside fellow Selecao icons Jairzinho, Rivelino and Carlos Alberto – displayed the devastating blend of artistry and ruthlessness that brought about their Azteca destruction of Italy. It was Pele's Brazil in a nutshell: beautiful but brutal yet, ultimately, glorious.