Born on October 23, 1940, in a small Brazilian town, Pele learned the nuances of the game from his father. His father was also a football player, whose career was derailed due to a knee injury. Apart from setting a world record of scoring 1,281 goals, Pele was also the only player to win the World Cup three times.

New Delhi: Pele, brazil’s legendary football player and the country’s record three World Cup winners, died on Thursday at the age of 82.

widely Pele regarded as one of football’s greatest players His real name was Edson Arantes do Nacimento.

During his career spanning over two decades, he was the most prolific scorer playing alongside Brazilian club Santos and then the Brazilian national team, winning the applause of his fans as well as opponents.

A post on Pele’s official Instagram account after his death said, “Pele mesmerized the world with his talent in sports and helped spread the message of love. Love, love and love, forever.”

Pele had been battling cancer for some time. He also had kidney and heart-related problems. Doctors had announced earlier this week that his health condition had deteriorated during his hospital stay to control the cancer.

Diach Vale’s report Pele was admitted to the hospital on November 29. He was receiving regular hospital care after a tumour was removed from his colon in September 2021.

His daughter Kelly Nacimento He confirmed his death in a post on Instagram, sharing a picture of the family holding the late football legend’s hand.

He wrote, ‘We love you very much. Rest in peace.”

Pele led Brazil to the heights of football. Pele, who started playing on the streets of São Paulo state, became a global ambassador for his sport.

In conversations about football’s greatest players, only the late Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been mentioned along with Pele.

As his health deteriorated, his visits and public appearances gradually diminished. He was often seen in a wheelchair during his final years. Pele also spent his 80th birthday in a beach house with select family members.

Born on October 23, 1940, in Minas Gerais, a small town in Trace Coracos or ‘Three Hearts’, Pele learned the nuances of the game from his father. His father was also a professional football player whose career was derailed due to a knee injury.

Apart from setting a world record of scoring 1,281 goals with his prolific skill and winning smile, Pele was also the only player to win the World Cup three times (1958, 1962 and 1970). During the first match of these three World Cups, he became the youngest scorer in the World Cup final, dating twice at the age of 17 years and 249 days.

fifa Pele scored 1,281 goals in 1,366 competitions. This is a shocking rate of 0.94 goals per match. Some of these competitions were friendly matches and some he played as part of his military service. However, apart from this, he was an equally brilliant player with 757 goals in 812 official football competitions.

In total, Pele had played 114 matches for Brazil, scoring a record 95 goals, including 77 goals in official matches.

Wave of mourning

Diach Vale’s report Pele’s death sparked a wave of mourning around the world. The Brazilian government has announced three days of mourning for the late star.

The country’s newly elected President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva posted a tribute to Pele on Twitter, writing what a privilege he had to see the late star play.

Confesso que tinha raiva do Pelé, porque ele sempre massacrava o meu Corinthians. Mas, antes de tudo, eu o admirava. E a raiva logo deu lugar à paixão de vê-lo jogar com a camisa 10 da Seleção Brasileira.

— Lula (@LulaOficial) December 29, 2022

“There has never been a ‘No. 10 player’ like him,” Lula said, referring to the number 10 jersey worn by Pele while playing for the Brazilian national team.

Pelé nos deixou hoje. Foi fazer tabelinha no céu com Coutinho, seu grande parceiro no Santos. Tem agora a companhia de tantos craques eternos: Didi, Garrincha, Nilton Santos, Sócrates, Maradona… Deixou uma certeza: nunca houve um camisa 10 como ele. Obrigado, Pelé.

— Lula (@LulaOficial) December 29, 2022

Brazilian football superstar Neymar Jr. said Pele changed everything. Gave voice to the poor, black people and gave Brazil a new identity.

Brazil’s CBF football federation said Pele “gave us a new Brazil and we can only thank him for his legacy”.

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo posted a tribute to the people of Brazil on his Instagram page expressing his condolences to the people of Brazil, saying that the death of ‘King Pele’ has caused great ‘sorrow’ to the entire football world.

If playing football is an art, then there is probably no greater artist in the world than him. Having won three World Cup titles, 784 recognized goals and a source of inspiration for football fans around the world, Pele left behind a great saga of achievements.

Although he scored more than 1200 goals, FIFA has recognized only 784.

One of the first global superstars of sports, Pele’s popularity was not tied to geographical boundaries. He was one of the pioneers who took football’s popularity to the peak and created its big market.

His popularity was such that when he came to Kolkata in 1977, it was as if the whole city had come to a standstill. He also visited India in 2015 and 2018.

He was born in a country (Brazil) facing corruption, military coups, censorship and oppressive governments. The 17-year-old Pele, however, changed Brazil’s image in his first World Cup in 1958.

In the tournament played in Sweden, he scored six goals in four matches, two of which were in the final. He led Brazil to a 5-2 win over the hosts and started a long-running streak of success.

Pele, who was named one of the greatest players by FIFA, was also a favorite of politicians. Before the 1970 World Cup, he was seen on a stage with President Emilio Garastazu Medici, one of the most ruthless members of Brazil’s most dictatorial government.

Brazil won the World Cup, which was also Pele’s third World Cup. A black player from the middle class dominated the world football scene under the intriguing politics of Brazil.

His popularity was such that during Nigeria’s civil war in the 1960s, there was a 48-hour ceasefire between rival factions so that they could watch a match of Pele in Lagos.

He also came to Kolkata on cosmos’ Asia tour in 1977 on the invitation of Mohun Bagan. He played football for about half an hour at the Eden Gardens, which was watched by 80,000 spectators.

After that match, Mohun Bagan’s fate changed and the team returned to the winning path.

After that, he came to Kolkata for the last time in 2018 and the craze for him was the same.

“You have never played an Olympics, but you are an Olympic athlete because throughout your career you have imbibed the values of the Olympics,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said on Pele’s 80th birthday.

There has been a debate in the football world for years about who is the greatest of Pele, Maradona and now Lionel Messi. Diego Maradona said goodbye to the world two years ago and Messi fulfilled his dream of winning the World Cup two weeks ago.