Agreed, and Pele helped popularize the sport in an era with no social media, and a much slower movement of media in general, on a footprint of 4 world cups, 3 of which he won. RIP
He popularized it a bit in the United States in the 1970’s when he came here to play.
They even put him in the movies, playing soccer/football, of course:
I can remember putting on our Adidas jerseys and shin guards and boots (or maybe Sambas) and practicing "soccer skills" in my yard with friends, and people would actually stop on the street and ask "what game are you playing?" Many adult Americans had never seen a black and white classic Adidas Telstar ball before!
Things are a lot better today, of course, with a dramatic increase in youth leagues and FIFA and Premier League viewership. Pelé was a huge part of that popularization because he was the first recognized football superstar in America for those interested in the game.