Edson Arantes Do Nascimento Alias Pele, a three-time World Cup champion and legendary player for Brazil, has passed away at age 82.
Following surgery to remove a tumor in September 2021, Pele underwent colon cancer therapy and needed ongoing care.
He was diagnosed with a respiratory infection after being readmitted to the hospital at the end of November to reassess his cancer treatment, and after his body stopped responding to chemotherapy, he was sent to palliative care.
The news that Pele had passed away was confirmed by his daughter Kely Nascimento on Instagram, who wrote: "Everything we are is thanks to you. Pele passed away on Thursday at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. You have our undying love. Peace be with you.
When Pele, then only 17 years old, helped Brazil win the World Cup for the first time in 1958, he made his international debut at the age of 16 and made his name known to the world. In the 5-2 final victory over Sweden in Stockholm, he scored twice.
In 1962 and 1970, when the Selecao put on probably the best World Cup final performance in the event's history, defeating Italy 4-1 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico, he would win the World Cup twice more. The Golden Ball, awarded to the contest's top performer, went to Pele.
How do you spell Pele? was a question Malcolm Allison, a former Manchester City manager and TV summarizer, posed throughout the competition. "Easy: G.O.D," counterpart Pat Crerand retorted.
Tostao, a teammate from 1970, observed, "Pele was the greatest - he was just perfect. He is also consistently happy and cheerful off the field. He never exhibits poor behavior. He enjoys playing Pele. Later in life, Sir Bobby Charlton, a member of the England team that lost to Brazil 1-0 in the tournament's group stage, said, "I sometimes feel as though football was made for this magical player."
During his illustrious career, which spanned from 1957 to 1977, Pele scored 757 goals in 831 games, however his longtime club Santos says that number is closer to 1,000.
Leave a Reply