The Truth About Pele's Wife

Pelé, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is arguably the greatest footballer, or soccer player, the world has ever seen. He won a record three FIFA World Cups between the years 1958 and 1970 and was dubbed "the greatest of them all" by FIFA. Outside of his professional career, the former athlete has an interesting personal life as well, as the forthcoming Netflix documentary about his life, Pelé – available to stream on Feb. 23, 2021 — will tell. In fact, fans are also hoping the documentary will go into detail about his fascinating wife, Marcia Aoki.

Pelé and Aoki married in 2016 in Guaruja, a small, coastal town in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Aoki is from, per the Mirror. They'd dated for six years before saying "I do," having postponed their 2014 wedding when Pelé experienced some health issues. Before walking down the aisle, and even before they started dating, the two had actually met at a party in the 1980s, per the Mirror. They became reacquainted when the "pair bumped into each other in an [elevator] in a Sao Paulo apartment block that they both lived in." That sounds like something out of a rom-com!

Aoki is Pelé's third wife, and he's her second husband. Before her second marriage, Aoki lived a full life as a successful businesswoman. Let's take a look at this interesting figure.

Marcia Aoki was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil to Paulo Aoki and Isaura Aoki (via Players Bio). Between the two of them, she was raised by "a pediatrician and a successful entrepreneur," per the Mirror. While she grew up in Brazil, she never strayed far from her Japanese heritage. She also has a brother, Carlos Alberto Aoki.

Once Aoki finished her schooling, she set out to follow in her parents' footsteps as a successful entrepreneur. She now owns her own medical supplies import company. She also seems to have an interest in home renovation based on something Pelé said about when they became reacquainted. Pelé shared (via the Mirror), "I said I was renovating my apartment and Marcia, who was separated [from her first husband] by then, invited me to see a home renovation she'd done."

Aoki is seemingly very private about her personal life and not much is known about her childhood, so it must have been a bit jarring to suddenly be involved with the famous Brazilian soccer player Pelé, who is still very much in the public eye. However, Pelé's fans are surely glad to know he's found true love again.