Even those who are far from sports have heard the names of legendary athletes many times. They made a huge contribution to the development of sports culture, and their activities have not been forgotten for decades.
Muhammad Ali - legendary boxer
During his school years, Cassius Clay did not like to fight. He came to boxing only because he wanted to teach a lesson to the hooligans who stole his bicycle. However, the young and daring guy showed remarkable success, entering the ring and defeating one famous boxer after another.
Clay's success was overwhelming - he became a five-time Boxer of the Year, Boxer of the Decade and even the Athlete of the Century. In 1964, the boxer converted to Islam and changed his name. Nowadays, he is better known as Mohammed Ali.
After completing his sports career, Ali took up charity work. However, the cruel sports past made itself felt - the boxer was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, his legs began to fail, his arms were shaking, speech and hearing were impaired. Ali fights the disease to this day.
Mohammed Ali is nicknamed "The Greatest". So he called himself.
Pele - the legend of football
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, was the son of a footballer. He played in the youth team of his hometown, where the coach immediately noticed his speed and dexterity, and then invited him to a little-known but professional club to watch. After that, Pele's career took off sharply.
He scored a goal in his first match, and in subsequent years was often awarded the title of top scorer. Famous Brazilian clubs drew attention to the talented young man, and soon Pele was already playing in the national team. The athlete became the youngest world champion in football - at that time he was only 17 years old.
Later, he won this title twice more, and this record has not yet been broken. Now Pele is engaged in social activities, as well as in business. He owns the famous Cafe Pele coffee brand.
Pele came from a very poor family, and his career has become one of the most triumphant in the sports world.
Michael Jordan
The name of this basketball player has long become a household name. It is not surprising, because the height of Flying Jordan is almost 2 meters. By the way, Michael's parents had an average physique, and the future basketball player himself was also short at first, and no one expected a stellar sports career from him.
However, after playing basketball, Jordan fell in love with the sport. He trained a lot, jumped often and ate well. This allowed Michael to grow up and get on the school team. Gradually, Jordan began to make extraordinary progress, and, already playing on the university team, he got into the US national team.
The athlete fell in love with the fans for his impetuous manner of play, jumping ability and ease of passing. He has appeared on magazine covers and in promotional videos, and Nike even contracted him to advertise sneakers. Jordan is now in business. He also owns his own basketball team.
