Abedi Pele was born on November 5, 1964 in a small village called Dome, Ghana. He was born into a poor family; therefore he had to often help his mother sell coal. He was recruited while playing for his school team and he was introduced to "colts" football (soccer) in the city.
Abédi Pelé soon became one of the pioneers of African football in Europe; one of the first great African players to make an impact on European club football. He played for teams in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and most famously France where he was very instrumental in Marseille's prominence in the European Champions League during the early 1990s. He was never able to make it to the Fifa World Cup.
He was the captain of Ghana's national soccer team for 6 years (1992–1998) and was one of the first African soccer players to finish highly in FIFA World Player of the Year lists in 1991 and 1992. Abédi Pelé played for Ghana 73 times and is considered the greatest football player in his country's history, and among the best in Africa.
Abédi holds the record for most appearances at the Nations Cup Finals, beating even the legendary Roger Milla of Cameroon to the record.
At present he owns a club called Narnia FC. The goal of this club is to nurture the young talent to augment the fledging league of the country. Along with his club, he sponsors several charities that aim at helping younger players achieve the kind of level that will help them succeed on the national level. Pele raised the standards for many players, mostly African players who aim to make a name for themselves.
He is also an ambassador for the continent of Africa. He currently serves on the Fifa Football Committee. Pele has the singular honour of participating in more FIFA organized charity matches than any African player. He is currently on the player status committees of both FIFA and CAF.
Because of his exploits in France, he is adored by many of the people from francophone countries in Africa. In appreciation for his services, the Ghanaian government awarded Pele the country's highest honor, the Order of the Volta. He was later nominated by the president to become the next Chairman of the FA, but he turned it down and handed it to someone he felt was more experienced.
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/2008/6/18/sports-profile