Celeste Arantes (20 November 1922 – 21 June 2024), better known as Dona Celeste, was the wife of the footballer Dondinho, and mother of Pelé.[1]
Born in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Celeste married Dondinho while he was playing for Atlético Clube Três Corações, and with him she had three children: Edson (Pelé), Jair (Zoca) and Maria Lúcia.[2] Celeste was always against the idea of her children following a career as footballers, as she understood how difficult it was to move from place to place all the time.[3] She outlived Pelé by nearly two years, dying at the age of 101.[4][5][6]
She is also embodied as a character in Mauricio de Sousa's comic strips Pelezinho.[7]
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