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Santos (Brazil) (AFP) – On a visit to the Pele Museum in the Brazilian coastal city of Santos, Sergio Murilo Jr. said he was sad to see the football legend’s health deteriorate, stressing at the same time, “I am proud of the legacy he left us.”
For the 53-year-old lawyer, Pele is above all “an example of perseverance and resilience for all generations”.
The museum in Santos is filled with memorabilia of the man dubbed “The King”: jerseys and cleats he wore, balls from important matches, and many awards, including an honorary FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2014.
Pele, 82, is battling cancer as well as kidney and heart problems in a hospital in Sao Paulo.
Flores Araujo Hermes, an 82-year-old Peruvian tourist, told AFP he remembers watching the Brazilian legend play in Lima as if it was yesterday.
And he remembers it in a style similar to the commentators, “Breast, shot and goal! Awesome!”.
“He was the best. People keep comparing him to others, but no one has yet surpassed him,” Hermes added.
While Pele is universally recognized as the only player in history to lead his country to three World Cup wins (1958, 1962 and 1970), he also achieved impressive successes with Santos, including winning the Intercontinental Cup in 1962 and 1963.
Pele was born in the neighboring state of Minas Gerais, and spent most of his footballing life at Santos, before playing in his final seasons in the seventies with the American New York Cosmos.
Santos’ shirts this season will feature the golden crown above the club’s crest, in homage to the eternal number 10 shirt worn by Pele.
“Pele will always be our king, the great king of football,” said Murillo Jr.
© 2022 AFP
