Pelé: His Father Cried… So the Boy Made a Promise
When Brazil lost the 1950 World Cup final, nine-year-old Edson saw his father cry and promised to win the World Cup for him. At seventeen, he did. Learn five A1 words with the true story of Pelé.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
A little boy saw his father cry.
Their country lost a big football game.
The boy said: Don't cry.
I will win the World Cup for you.
This is the story of Pelé.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. A is round.
You play football with a .
His family had no money for a .
. You wear a on your foot.
He played with a full of paper.
. When you , you hit something with your foot.
The past is .
He the all day.
. A is a group of players who play together.
At fifteen, he joined a big .
. When the goes into the net, it is a .
He more than a thousand .
Now, one pattern: when.
We use when to say the time of something in the past.
He was nine.
He made a promise.
When he was nine, he made a promise.
Ready? Let's begin.
Pelé was born in Brazil in 1940.
His real name was Edson.
His family was poor.
When he was a little boy, he cleaned shoes for money.
His family had no money for a .
So he played with a full of paper.
He the all day with his friends.
In 1950, Brazil played the last big game of the World Cup.
The family listened on the radio.
Brazil lost!
Edson saw his father cry.
When he was nine, he made a promise.
"I will win the World Cup for you."
When he was fifteen, he joined a big .
At sixteen, he played for Brazil.
Could he keep his promise?
In 1958, the World Cup was in Sweden.
Pelé was only 17.
In the final, he two .
Brazil won!
Pelé cried. He was very happy.
His friends held him.
He won the World Cup again in 1962 and in 1970.
He is the only player with three World Cup wins.
He more than a thousand .
Pelé died in 2022, at 82.
People everywhere remember him.
And he kept his promise to his father.
Let's review. His family had no money for a .
He played with a full of paper.
He the all day.
At fifteen, he joined a big .
He more than a thousand .
And remember: when he was nine, he made a promise.
Pelé's story teaches us: make a big promise, then work hard to keep it.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
ball noun
a round thing you play with
“His family had no money for a ball.”
sock noun
you wear it on your foot
“He played with a sock full of paper.”
kick verb
to hit something with your foot (past: kicked)
“He kicked the ball all day.”
team noun
a group of players who play together
“At fifteen, he joined a big team.”
goal noun
when the ball goes into the net
“He scored more than a thousand goals.”
field noun
a big area of grass where people play sports (also: pitch)
“He played on a big green field.”
shirt noun
clothes for the top of your body
“In 1970, Brazil played in yellow shirts.”
score verb
to get a goal or a point (past: scored)
“In the final, he scored two goals.”
Grammar in the story
When + past simple, past simple
We use it for: to say the time of something in the past
- When he was nine, he made a promise.
- When he was fifteen, he joined a big team.
- When I was a child, I played football.
From the story
- When he was nine, he made a promise.
- When he was fifteen, he joined a big team.
Find it in the story 5 times
Your turn
he was a little boy, he cleaned shoes for money.
When he was fifteen, he a big team.
When he seventeen, he played in the World Cup final.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Do you like football? Who is your favourite player? Did you make a promise when you were a child?
After you watch: Write three sentences with When I was …. For example: When I was six, I started school. When I was ten, I learned to swim.
Think about it: Pelé made a big promise to his father, and he kept it. Have you ever made a promise to someone you love? Did you keep it?
