Brazilian soccer legend Pele has passed away at the age of 82

Brazilian football Pele legend three times world Cup The hero who is largely considered one of the best players of all time is dead. He was 82 years old.

his daughter Kelly confirmed his death on social media.

“All we are for is thanking you,” she wrote. “We love you forever. Rest in peace.”

Brazil has planned 48 hours of national mourning. Pele, whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is expected to be buried in Santos, southeast of Sao Paulo, where he played for the city club from 1956 to 1974.

The fans will be able to pay their final respects at the Villa Belmero stadium, the club said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.

Santos said the coffin with the star will leave the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo early Monday morning and will be placed in the center of the field circle. The visit will start Monday at 10 a.m. and end the next morning, the Associated Press reported. A private funeral will follow in the presence of his family.

Pele has been in and out of the hospital for the past year as he battles colon cancer. In November, the Albert Einstein Hospital announced that his cancer had progressed and he was on palliative care.

The hospital confirmed Pele’s death at 3:27 p.m. local time from multiple organ failure as a result of colon cancer.

The soccer star was hospitalized in December 2021 shortly after undergoing chemotherapy for a colon tumor. he is Posted on Instagram He was recovering.

Over the past year, Pele has dismissed concerns about his health and has continued to thank fans for their support.

“Dear friends, it’s been a long time since we’ve talked about this. I want to tell you that I’m fine. I feel better every day. I don’t think even a mask to protect me can hide my happiness. Thank you. So much to all of you who send me good energy every day.” he wrote in a November 2021 Instagram post.

Named the FIFA Co-Player of the Century in 1999 alongside Diego Maradona of Argentina, Pele spent his retirement as a global ambassador of sport and devoted his efforts to other humanitarian causes. in 2020, When Maradona diedPele commented, “One day, I hope we can play football together in the sky.”

Pele was born on October 23, 1940 in the town of Tres Coraco, in the state of Minas Gerais, in southern Brazil. His parents named him after the American inventor Thomas Edison. Pele’s father, Joao Ramos do Nascimento, nicknamed Dondinho, was also a professional soccer player.

Young Edson was given the nickname Pele at school when his schoolmates made fun of his pronunciation of famous Brazilian goalkeeper Pele, as he explained in a 2016 column for Players Tribune.

He started playing at the age of 13 with a youth team in Bauru. He was scouted by Santos at the age of 15 and started playing professionally with the team.

At just 17 years old, he emerged as a superstar with his performance during Brazil’s 1958 World Cup victory, and played his entire career in Brazil with Santos. He scored an astounding 618 goals in 636 games for Santos and won six Brazilian league titles.

Pelé won two more World Cups – in 1962 and 1970. He is the only player to win three World Cups and one of only two players – along with teammate FAFA – to score in two World Cup finals for the winning clubs.

He scored 77 goals in 92 international matches. Brazilian striker Neymar equaled his national record during the 2022 World Cup, a few weeks before Pele’s death, by scoring his 77th goal in a match against Croatia.

“I used to say before Pele, football was just a sport. Pele changed everything,” Neymar said wrote on social media. “He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor and black people and mostly gave a vision for Brazil… He’s gone, but his magic remains.”

He finished his career with the New York Cosmos in 1977, creating a stir unprecedented in soccer in the United States. The club, which was funded by pioneering executive director Stephen Ross, attended such stars as Pele, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and German defender Franz Beckenbauer. . Cosmos was the only club besides Santos for which Pele played.

His last game was played on October 1, 1977, an exhibition game between the Cosmos and Santos, before a sellout crowd at Giants Stadium. The match was broadcast on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Pelé played one half for each team.

“Pele’s name will continue to be synonymous with genius and athletic art,” the Cosmos said in a statement. “His lasting impact on the sport of football is invaluable. Rest in peace, Ray.”

He later starred in John Huston’s 1981 World War II film “Escape to Victory” alongside Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine.

A biography about his life, “Pele: The Birth of a Legend” was released in 2016.

The Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, the only man to have scored in more World Cups than Pele, wrote, “A mere ‘farewell’ to eternal king Pele will never be enough to express the anguish the entire football world embraces.” An inspiration to many millions, a reference yesterday. Today and forever. The love you always showed me was reciprocated every moment we shared even from a distance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will live on forever in all of us football fans.”

Pele is largely credited with sparking interest in the game in the United States during the 1970s, a legacy that lives on to this day.

“Pele had a magnetic presence, and when I was with him, the rest of the world stopped. His life revolved around more than football. He changed perceptions for the better in Brazil, South America and all over the world,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement Thursday.

He is survived by his wife, Marcia Aoki, and seven children: Brazilian football coach and former player Edson Cholpe do Nascimento, better known as Edino. daughter Sandra Regina Machado Arantes do Nascimento; soccer player Joshua Nascimento; son of Celeste Arantes do Nascimento; and three other daughters, Kelly Cristina Nascimento, Flavia Christina Cortez Nascimento, and Jennifer Nascimento.