Who Was Soccer Star Pele’s Third Wife Marcia Aoki?
Soccer fans all over the globe are mourning the loss of one of the sport‘s all-time greatest players after it was reported that Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, has died. He was 82.
Pelé was hospitalized for a month and his family had gathered around him in recent days. On Dec. 29, 2022, his agent confirmed his death in a post that read: “The king has passed.” Pelé’s daughter, Kely Nascimento, then took to Instagram writing: “All that we are is thanks to you. We love you endlessly. Rest in peace.”
Tributes have been pouring in since Pelé’s death and now some fans have questions about the woman married to the footballer and how many children Pelé had.
Pelé was married three times
Pelé walked down the aisle three times. The first time the athlete did so was in 1966 when he and Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi tied the knot. They divorced in 1982.
Pelé’s second wife was gospel singer Assíria Lemos, who he wed in 1994. But like his first marriage, theirs ended in divorce.
Pelé admitted that he was unfaithful and had several extramarital affairs during his marriages. But he insisted that he was honest with his wives about his infidelity. “My first wife, first girlfriend, knew about it. I never lied,” The Sun quoted him saying.
The soccer legend and businesswoman Marcia Aoki said “I Do” in 2016. They were married at the time of his death.
Who is Marcia Aoki?
The Brazilian king of soccer’s third wife was born in Sao, Paulo, Brazil, and is of Japanese descent. She has one brother named Carlos.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in college, Aoki decided she wanted to be a business owner like her parents and started her own medical supply company.
Aoki and Pelé first met sometime back in the ’80s at a party in New York. However, reports of a relationship between them never surfaced until 2010. Six years later they announced they were married.
Pelé was already a father when he and Aoki wed, but the pair did not have any children together.
How many children Pelé fathered
Pelé once said he was unsure of how many children he actually had due to his many affairs. He had at least seven kids — Kely, Flávia, Sandra, Edson, Jennifer, Joshua, and Celeste
ESPN reported that Sandra Regina Arantes do Nascimento’s mother was Anizia Machado, a maid who had an affair with Pelé when he was a young player with Santos. Sandra wasn’t recognized as the soccer player’s daughter until 1996 when she won a court case and the right to use his surname. She later published a book about her mom’s affair with Pelé.
Sandra died of breast cancer in 2006 at the age of 42. Her father did not attend her funeral as his spokesman said Pelé “will send a wreath in the name of his family … he prefers to pray at home.”
