When people search for Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi, they are usually looking for the woman who stood beside Pelé during the years he became the most famous footballer in the world. Yet she remains one of the least publicly documented figures in his life.
This article covers what is confirmed about who she is, her marriage to Pelé, the three children she raised with him, and why she has remained a private figure long after their 1982 divorce.
Who Rosemeri Dos Reis Cholbi Is
Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi is best known as the first wife of Brazilian football legend Pelé, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Beyond that connection, very little about her personal life has been documented in reliable public sources.
Some secondary sources suggest she was born in Brazil around 1942, but this is not backed by strong primary documentation. Her birth date, hometown, family background, and education are not part of the public record in any meaningful way.
She is not a public figure in her own right. Most of what is known about her exists only within the context of Pelé’s life, his career, and their family. Writers who have covered her story consistently note that there is simply “not much publicly known” about her personal life.
Her Marriage to Pelé — Timeline and Context
Rosemeri and Pelé married in 1966. By that point, Pelé had already won two World Cups — in 1958 and 1962 — and was one of the most recognizable names on the planet. She was marrying someone who was not just a footballer but a global symbol.
Their marriage lasted 16 years. It ended in divorce in 1982. These dates are confirmed across multiple sources, including public records.
During those years, Pelé was at the height of his powers. He was playing for Santos FC, representing Brazil on the international stage, and competing in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico — widely considered the greatest World Cup team ever assembled. Life as his spouse meant long periods apart, constant travel, intense media attention, and very little privacy.
What Rosemeri’s daily life looked like during those years is not well documented. But the context of Pelé’s schedule and public obligations gives some sense of what it meant to be married to him at that time. It was, by any measure, an unusual situation to navigate.
What Pelé Said About Their Relationship
One of the rare first-hand accounts of their marriage comes from Pelé himself. In his Netflix documentary, he spoke openly about his time with Rosemeri.
According to summaries of the documentary, Pelé acknowledged that he had been unfaithful during their marriage and that Rosemeri was aware of it. He described their relationship as “honest and friendly” despite the difficulties he had caused.
It is worth being clear: this is Pelé’s account, told from his perspective. The article attributes it to him directly. What Rosemeri felt or thought about any of it has not been stated publicly by her, and it would not be accurate to project feelings or reactions onto her.
What the account does show is that their marriage carried real strain — from fame, from travel, and from the personal choices Pelé made. That kind of pressure on a relationship was not unusual for high-profile athletes of that era, but acknowledging it openly in a documentary was a candid admission on his part.
Their Three Children and What They Are Known For
Rosemeri and Pelé had three children together. They are among the best-known of his children, and in some ways, they represent her most lasting public presence — through them rather than through herself.
Kely Cristina Nascimento
Kely Cristina Nascimento was born in January 1967. She has become the most publicly visible of Rosemeri’s three children. Over the years, she has been involved in sports advocacy work, including projects tied to football and social issues.
She was notably present and vocal during Pelé’s final illness and after his death in December 2022. Her social media posts during that period were widely shared, and she became a recognizable voice representing the family during a difficult time.
Edson “Edinho” Cholbi do Nascimento
Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, commonly known as Edinho, was born in 1970. He followed his father into football, playing as a goalkeeper for Santos FC — the same club where Pelé built his legendary career.
After retiring as a player, Edinho moved into football coaching. He has also been the subject of coverage in Brazilian media related to legal matters over the years. Despite those challenges, he has remained a recognized figure in Brazilian football circles.
Jennifer
Jennifer, born in 1978, is the youngest of Rosemeri’s three children. She keeps a low public profile, similar to her mother. She is listed as one of Pelé’s daughters in family records and biographies, but she has not sought public attention or a media presence.
In that sense, Jennifer’s quiet approach mirrors Rosemeri’s own. Both have chosen to remain outside the spotlight, even as other members of the family have taken on more visible roles.
Life After the Divorce
After Rosemeri and Pelé divorced in 1982, she stepped away from public life entirely. Secondary sources describe her as choosing a quiet existence in Brazil, away from media attention.
Some websites have estimated her current age as around 81, based on the assumed 1942 birth year. However, since that birth year is not firmly documented, these figures should be treated as approximate rather than confirmed. Her current whereabouts and daily life are not publicly reported.
What is consistent across the available information is that she has not sought celebrity status, has not given public interviews, and has not positioned herself in connection to Pelé’s ongoing legacy. That discretion has been a deliberate and sustained choice.
Pelé, by contrast, remained a very public figure after their divorce. He married twice more — first to Assíria Lemos Seixas, then later to Marcia Aoki — and continued appearing in public and media well into his later years. Rosemeri’s path went in the opposite direction.
Why So Little Is Known About Her
It is a reasonable question. Pelé is one of the most documented athletes in history. Why is his first wife, and the mother of three of his children, so difficult to find information about?
Part of the answer is simply that she chose privacy. She did not give interviews, did not pursue public-facing work, and did not stay connected to Pelé’s public world after the divorce. In the pre-social media era especially, it was entirely possible for someone in her position to step back and remain largely invisible to the press.
Another part of the answer is that public interest in her is largely driven by interest in Pelé. She has never been famous in her own right. Searches for her name tend to come from people trying to understand Pelé’s family history, his marriages, or the background of his children — not from a specific interest in her as an individual.
For anyone researching Pelé’s life and legacy, she matters as context. But that context is defined by confirmed facts: a 16-year marriage, three children, and a quiet life maintained on her own terms since 1982.
If you are looking for reliable, well-framed profiles of figures connected to major public names, Brieflybusiness covers a wide range of people and stories tied to business, sport, and public life.
A Private Life, a Public Legacy
Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi is not a celebrity. She became connected to one of the most famous people of the twentieth century, raised three children during a period of intense global scrutiny, and then quietly moved on when that chapter ended.
What she left behind is not a public record of her own — it is a family. Kely’s advocacy work, Edinho’s football career, and the broader Nascimento family story all trace back in part to the years Rosemeri spent as a mother and partner during Pelé’s most celebrated era.
She has never asked for recognition for that. And for most of the years since 1982, the public has largely not given it. That, in itself, says something about the kind of life she chose to live.
Read Also:
