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I learned as a kid, with my father Dondinho, that football is an instrument for good. He taught me that lesson when he saw me dribbling a weaker opponent without any need and asked me to always respect my rivals. I took that for life, always using my talent for love and peace
I always tried to send this message, as football player and as a man. One of my greatest pride was to have stopped a war in Nigeria, in 1969, in one the many football tours that Santos made around the world 
We were asked to play a friendly match on Benin City, in the middle of a Civil War, but Santos was so beloved that they agreed on a ceasefire on the matchday. It became known as the day that "Santos stopped the war" 
I understood that football has the power to bring peace to poor communities. In two important moments of my career, my 1000th goal and my profesional farewell, in US, I took advantage of all the media coverage, to pledge for the poor children around the world. Love, love, love!
After retirement, I invested on my connection with good causes. I was the proud champion of a breastfeed campaign in Brazil, in order to reduce child mortality rates in the country. Later, I was also ahead of a campaign to erradicate illiteracy:
I am also proud of my relationship with UN. Since 1994, I am UNESCO Champion for Sport and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. We created successful campaigns, such as Children in Need fundraising, in 1996, and the Match of the Hearth, in 2000, to send a peace message for 
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Today, I insist on being involved in good causes, both with NGO's, Public institutions and my sponsors. This is part of my legacy and I applaud other football legends that have also been following this path, using the beautiful game to make the world better 
