The “King” Pelé, the world’s first soccer star, dies at 82

Pelé, the first global soccer star and national monument in Brazil, died Thursday at the age of 82 in Sao Paulo (southeast), announced his family and the hospital where he had been admitted a month ago for treat colon cancer.

“Albert Einstein Hospital confirms the death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé, this December 29, 2022, at 3:27 p.m., due to multiple organ failure due to the progression of his cancer”, can we read in the medical report.

“We love you to infinity, rest in peace,” Kely Nascimento, one of Pelé’s daughters, wrote shortly before on Instagram.

Neymar, Messi, Mbappé and co. react

As soon as the announcement of his death was announced, the reactions of football personalities exploded on social networks.

Pelé “made football an art”, declared on Instagram Neymar, his heir within the Brazilian selection, following the death of the ex-football legend at the age of 82 on Thursday.

“Before Pelé, football was just a sport. Pelé changed everything, he made football an art (…), he gave a voice to the poor, to blacks, and above all: he gave visibility to Brazil,” wrote the Paris Saint striker. -Germain.

“He is no longer here, but his magic will continue,” he added, in a message illustrated with a photo of the “King” of football wearing a crown and two others of him by his side.

“Rest in peace, Pelé,” reacted Lionel Messi, winner of the FIFA World Cup with Argentina, shortly following the announcement of the death of the Brazilian football legend at the age of 82.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner posted his message on Instagram, captioning three photos: two of himself with Pelé and another of the legendary Brazilian celebrating a goal in the 1970 World Cup final in Mexico.

“The king of football has left us, but his legacy will never be forgotten, rest in peace, King”, wrote in English on Twitter the superstar of PSG and the France team Kylian Mbappé, often compared to Pelé for his earliness.

“A simple ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that the entire footballing world is currently feeling. An inspiration for so many, a reference yesterday, today and forever. The affection he has always shown to me has been reciprocated at all times, even from a distance,” Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and Santos, his lifelong club, also paid tribute to him.

“He has always been the biggest idol of our football, it’s an irreparable loss,” José Vanio Aves da Silva, a concierge in Sao Paulo, told AFP.

The only footballer to have won the World Cup three times (1958, 1962 and 1970), Pelé, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was elected athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999.

His death is a shock for all football fans, eleven days following the end of the World Cup in Qatar, and just over two years following that of Diego Maradona.

Throughout the tournament, the “king” had published from the room of the Albert-Einstein hospital where he had admitted on November 29 messages on social networks, encouraging Brazil or congratulating Messi on his “deserved” coronation with the Argentina once morest France.

national treasure

The disappearance of Pelé is a huge loss for Brazil, where he is considered a “National Treasure”.

No player has shaken the nets as much: 1281 goals in 1363 matches in the jerseys of Santos (1956-74), his club in Brazil, the national “Seleçao” and Cosmos New York (1975-77).

But beyond the numbers, Pelé will be remembered as the “King” who revolutionized his sport, with his eternal number 10 on his back.

This genius dribbler was the forerunner of modern football, with exceptional technical quality combined with extraordinary athletic abilities despite his modest height (1.72 m).

Pelé was also a big emotional, as evidenced by the black and white images of the 17-year-old boy bursting into tears following winning the first of his three world titles, in 1958, in Sweden.

He thus kept the promise made to his father, eight years following having seen him cry while listening to the radio on the “Maracanazo”, nickname given to the defeat once morest Uruguay which had deprived Brazil of a first world title in 1950. home.

In 1970, during the first World Cup broadcast in color, it was with a radiant smile that the King, at the peak of his art, celebrated the historic treble, within a team that many consider to be the most talented of all. time, with Rivelino, Tostao or Jairzinho.

“One Kidney, Three Hearts”

The world of football had already held its breath in November 2014, when the Brazilian was placed in intensive care following a serious urinary infection which had required his placement on dialysis.

It was ultimately colon cancer that struck down the “King”. Pelé had however remained optimistic throughout his fight once morest the disease, following the detection of a tumor in September 2021: “I will play this new match with a smile”, he had declared on Instagram.

During his playing career, a broken rib during a game damaged his right kidney, which was eventually removed.

He only had one kidney, but “three hearts”, he joked, referring to the name of his hometown, Tres Coraçoes, in the state of Minas Gerais (southeast).

Born on October 23, 1940 into a poor family, little Edson had to sell peanuts in the street to help his parents. His first name was chosen in homage to Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb.

He signed his first professional contract at the age of 15, with Santos, the club with which he piled up titles, notably lifting two consecutive intercontinental cups, once morest Benfica (1962) and AC Milan (1963).

On November 19, 1969, when he scored the thousandth goal of his career in the legendary Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the match was interrupted for regarding twenty minutes, the time of an interminable lap of honor.

minister and singer

During tours of friendly matches abroad with Santos or with the Seleçao, he was received like a head of state.

Pelé never yielded to the advances of the big European clubs, but offered himself a last golden freelance at the New York Cosmos, contributing to the first, ephemeral rise of “soccer” in the United States, where he put an end to his career, in 1977.

His reign also extended outside the field, with film roles, recorded songs and even a post as Minister of Sports (1995-1998).

Unlike the eternal rebel Maradona, he was often perceived in Brazil as a man close to established power, including during the military dictatorship (1964-1985).

Sometimes considered haughty and vain, criticized for certain sweeping declarations, Pelé was not always a prophet in his country, unlike heroes with a tragic destiny such as footballer Garrincha or racing driver Ayrton Senna.

Nom: Arantes do Nascimento
First name: Edson
Nickname: Skin
Date of Birth: October 23, 1940 (82 years old)
Place of birth: Tres Coracoes (Brazil)
Cut: 1,72 m
Sports/Positions: soccer/playmaker
Successive clubs: Santos (BRA/1956-1974), New York Cosmos (USA/1975-1977)
Selections: 92 (77 buts)
1^time selection: 07/07/1957, Brazil-Argentina (1-2)
Last selection: 07/18/1971, Brazil-Yugoslavia (2-2)

Selection winners

Three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970)
Vice-champion of the Copa America (1959)

Club honors

Two Intercontinental Cups (1962, 1963)
Deux Copa Libertadores (1962, 1963)
Ten Sao Paulo Championships (1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973)
Eleven times top scorer in the Sao Paulo Championship: 1957 (17 goals), 1958 (58), 1959 (46), 1960 (32), 1961 (47), 1962 (37), 1963 (22), 1964 (34) , 1965 (49), 1969 (26), 1973 (11)
Five Brazilian Cups (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)
A United States Championship (1977)

Records

Only player triple world champion
Youngest world champion and youngest scorer in a World Cup final (aged 17 in 1958)
1281 goals in 1363 matches, world record including friendlies and approved by FIFA
Top scorer in the history of the Brazilian team (77 goals)
58 goals in the Sao Paulo State Championship for the 1958 season
Author of 6 quintuplets, 30 quadruplets and 92 triplets in his career
1000^e goal scored on 19/11/1969 at the Maracana (Santos – Vasco da Gama). At the 78^e minute, penalty, goal by Pelé. The match is interrupted, Pelé makes a lap of honor and returns to the lawn with a jersey stamped with the number 1000.

Distinction

Voted Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee (1999)
Voted Footballer of the Century by FIFA (2000)
Honorary Ballon d’Or (awarded in January 2014)