Pele, the legendary Brazilian footballer, passed away at 82 in Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He had colon cancer and also underwent tumour removal surgery in September 2021.
Tributes began to pour in from different parts of the world, and renowned personalities took to Twitter to share their compassionate feelings.
Ronaldo Messi, Neymar and other football stars unanimously claimed that this was a significant loss to the game and the world. Before the eternal king of football— 10 was just a number.
What Made Pele Great
In his career that spanned over two decades, he scored around 1,200 goals. At 17, he also became the youngest player to win a World Cup, a record that stands tall to date. He appeared in four and won three 1958, 1962, and 1970 World Cups.
At the club level, Pele played for Santos FC in Brazil and the New York Cosmos in the United States. He won numerous domestic titles with Santos and helped lead the team to victories in the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup.
Pele was named South American Footballer of the Year three times and was inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.
Pele’s skill, success, and sportsmanship have earned him a place among the greatest soccer players and cemented his legacy as the “King of Football.”
In the 1970s, a team of medical experts conducted a study to analyze the mind and body of this great legend and concluded that “Whatever this man might have decided to do in any physical or mental endeavour, he would have been a genius.”
Besides his on-field achievements, Pele is known for his sportsmanship and humility. He received numerous awards and accolades, including the FIFA Order of Merit and the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Order.
Pele was undoubtedly one of the greatest players in this great game’s gallery. His exceptional efforts on and off the field had left a mark on this world. He was not just a fantastic player but also a humble human being.
For his outstanding contribution to the game, the world and humanity, Indo Thai News pays a heartfelt tribute to a legend and the king of football.
Pic Courtesy Pelé Schiphol : Bilsen, Joop van / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, via Wikimedia Commons
Pele Pic Courtesy: AFP/SCANPIX, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons