Joshua Seixas Arantes do Nascimento (born 28 September 1996) is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a forward. He is a son of Pelé.
Early and personal life
Nascimento was born to Brazilian gospel singer Assiria Seixas Lemos and Brazilian football legend Pelé.[2] He has a twin sister named Celeste.[2]
Footballing career
Early career
At the age of ten, he trained with Santos, the club where his father made his name, for the first time.[3] He moved to the United States at the age of twelve, and joined the academy side Florida Rush three years later.[4][5]
He returned to Brazil in 2013, joining Santos on a permanent deal.[6][7] While at Santos, he refused to wear his father's famous number 10 shirt, and attempted to ignore comparisons between himself and his father, stating "he was him and I am me."[8] He made his debut for the Santos under-20 side in October 2014.[9]
Collegiate soccer
Having suffered numerous injuries while at Santos, Nascimento returned to the United States to enroll at the University of Tampa in 2015.[5] However, his time in Tampa was also marred by injury, and he was redshirted in his first season with the university's soccer team, the Tampa Spartans.[10] He made one appearance in 2016, but this would be his only playing time until his graduation in 2018.[10][11]
Later life
Having been raised mostly in the United States, he decided to remain there following his decision not to pursue a career in professional football, and he was named as a representative for Santos in North America in 2020.[12] He joined the SIMA Pre-Academy, a soccer academy for children, in 2021.[11] He has also worked as a fitness instructor and soccer coach in soccer academies across Orlando, as well as completing an internship in the Santos academy physiology department.[11]
Having graduated university with a Bachelor of Science in human performance and exercise physiology, Nascimento had an internship with Belgian football team Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in March 2022, in the hope of working as a physical trainer.[13][14]
He currently works as a physical trainer at the Soccer Institute of the Montverde Academy.[14]