Brazil: The Brazilian football legend Mr. Pele, one of the greatest and best-known footballers in modern history, has died at 82 in Sao Paulo.
During his 21-year career, the soccer star is credited with scoring a world record of 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances.
In addition, Mr. Pele is the only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962, and 1970, and was named Fifa’s Player of the Century in 2000.
The football legend, who has suffered from kidney and prostate problems in recent years, has been hospitalized since November 2022 with complications related to colon cancer.
Mr. Pele’s daughter Ms. Kely Nascimento has kept fans updated on her father’s condition with regular social media updates from hospital.
Several footballing greats, including modern-day superstars Mr. Lionel Messi, Mr. Kylian Mbappe, Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mr. Neymar, have made tribute posts to Pele in their social media accounts.
Mr. Pele joined Santos as a teenager and went on to make the club one of the most famous in football. The soccer legend spent 18 glorious years at the club, where he won every honour in Brazilian football.
Furthermore, Mr. Pele added two Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, and two Intercontinental Cups, the annual tournament held between the best teams in Europe and South America.
The ever-great footballer made his international debut at the age of 16 and ended his career as the all-time leading goal scorer for the team, scoring 77 goals in 92 matches for Brazil.
