Pele is usually the first name that comes to mind when debating the greatest footballer of all time. He was born into a humble family in Sao Paulo. He won the hearts of billions of people all over the world with his amazing football skills. Many pundits have dubbed him the first-ever global football celebrity, as well as the first footballer to be hailed the greatest of all time. In addition to public adulation, Pele won several titles at the international and club levels. He also received many individual honors. Pele's illustrious professional football career is discussed in this article. Pele's Early Years Pele was born in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on October 23, 1940. Edson Arantes do Nascimento is his full name. His family called him "Dico."  However, during his school days, he was given a nickname because of his mispronunciation of the name of his favorite player, Bilé. His friends began to refer to him as Pele. In his autobiography, Pele stated that the name has no meaning and merely originates from the word 'Bile.'  Read Brazil vs. Argentina 2021: FIFA Investigates the Suspension of Brazil-Argentina WC Qualifier Match Pele's father was a professional footballer. Pele grew up in poverty and bolstered his income by working as a servant in tea cafes. His father taught him some football skills, and he played for many amateur teams in his youth. Pele joined the Santos football academy when he was 15 years old. Pele's talent drew the attention of Santos FC coach Lula, who signed him to a professional contract in June 1956. He scored the first goal in Santos' 7-1 win over Corinthians on his professional debut. Pele astonished everyone with a spectacular performance in his very first match and the rest is history.

The group stage of the ongoing South American Championship finished on June 29th.We saw some exciting matches in the first round, but had to wait until the final group stage fixtures to learn who would qualify for the next round. Eight teams qualified for the quarter-finals and all the expected national teams have progressed to the next round.Argentina finished top in Group A, while Brazil took the first spot in Group B.The competition's first knockout round will begin on July 2. This article has discussed the teams that qualified for the Copa America 2021 quarterfinals and fixtures. Teams Qualified for the Quarter Finals Phase The top four teams from each group qualified for the quarterfinals in the 47th edition of the Copa America tournament. Let's see who have advanced to the next round from each group. Group A One of the favorites of the tournament, Argentina topped the group A with the most points 10 points, followed by Uruguay (7), Paraguay (6), Chili (5) and Bolivia (0). Read UEFA Euro 2020: Round of 16 Qualified Teams, Fixtures Table topper, Argentina won three matches and drew one in the group stage. Argentina held a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Chili. After that, they won by a lone goal against Uruguay and Paraguay respectively before winning 4-1 against Bolivia in their last encounter. So, Argentina had a terrific time in the group stage and will seek to continue their winning streak in the knockout phase.  On the other hand, Uruguay recovered from a slow start to win their remaining two group stage matches and finish second in the points table. Meanwhile, Chili had struggled in their last two matches. Read:Swiss beat France on penalties at Euro 2020 Group B The hot favorite, Brazil won three matches and drew one in group B, finishing top in the rankings with ten points. Peru (7), Colombia (4), Ecuador (3), and Venezuela (2) placed second, third, fourth, and fifth respectively at the end of the group stage. Brazil started off well, winning three of their first four matches, but they held a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in the last group stage encounter. Ecuador have qualified for the quarterfinals after drawing their match against Brazil. On the other hand, Peru moved up to second position after defeating Venezuela 1-0 in their last group stage game. Colombia had to settle for third place with only one win. They lost two games during the group stage. Colombia must regroup before the crucial quarterfinals. Read:Belgium edges Portugal, reaches quarterfinals at Euro 2020 Copa America 2021 Quarter Finals Fixtures Date Match Venue & Time (BST) July 3 (Saturday) Peru vs Paraguay Goiânia (3 AM) July 3 (Saturday) Brazil vs Chili Rio de Janeiro (6 AM) July 4 (Sunday) Uruguay vs Colombia Brasília (4 AM) July 4 (Sunday) Argentina vs Ecuador Goiânia(7 AM) Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Copa_Am%C3%A9rica Read:Denmark on the road for 1st time to face Wales at Euro 2020 Bottom Line The strongest national teams of South America have qualified for the Copa America 2021 quarter-finals. As a result, we can expect the title to be won by the deserving national team in the end. In the next round, reigning champion Brazil will play a strong Chili side. Chili won the championship in 2015 and 2016, thus it will be a tough battle for Brazil. However, there will be no easy matches in the quarter-finals. The teams must put up their best effort to advance to the semi-finals. Read:Messi breaks Argentina’s record for caps at Copa America win