Pelé Museum (Memorial das Conquistas)

The Memorial das Conquistas at Vila Belmiro stadium is the official Santos FC museum, but most visitors come for one player. The display follows Pelé's life from his arrival as a 15-year-old in 1956 through three World Cup wins with Brazil and the long string of titles he won with Santos. Trophies, photographs, signed shirts, and short films make the case that he was, by some margin, the greatest player of all time.

You can usually combine the museum with a stadium tour that takes in the dressing rooms, the players' tunnel, and the pitch itself. Vila Belmiro is small by modern standards (capacity around 16,000) and that intimacy is part of its appeal. Open Tuesday to Sunday.

things to do museum
A story
Pelé scored 643 goals in 656 games for Santos between 1956 and 1974, a record almost no other player has approached. The club retired the number 10 shirt for him, and the small section of the stadium where he used to sit in retirement is preserved as a kind of shrine.