Pelé

Pelé, the greatest soccer player ever and the most decorated athlete in the history of "the Beautiful Game," has died at the age of 82.

In the near half-century following his retirement, Pelé became one of soccer’s greatest ambassadors, continuing his push to keep the “Beautiful Game” on the forefront of the world stage. In the Brazilian press, Pelé was instantly hailed as a star, with the forward leading the league in scoring as a 16-year-old in 1957. Following nearly two decades at Santos and a brief retirement, Pelé signed with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. “The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.” That same year, Pelé played his final game as a pro as the Cosmos hosted his former longtime team, Santos, for an exhibition match at a sold-out Giants Stadium, with Pelé playing for both teams during the game. The following year, Pelé joined the Brazilian national team for the 1958 World Cup, delivering a performance that would make him a global star and earn him the nickname “O Rei,” or “The King.” He received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth as well as every other possible soccer-related accolade, from the FIFA Order of Merit to the FIFA Player of the Century to a spot on TIme’s 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century list. In his 19 seasons at Santos, spanning from 1956 to 1974 and roughly 660 games, Pelé scored a record-shattering 643 goals. Pelé — who was given his nickname by childhood friends because of the way he mispronounced his favorite soccer player goalkeeper Bilé — honed his craft playing futsal (or indoor soccer) in Bauru, the region within São Paulo, where Pelé grew up. 18, Pelé’s daughter revealed a couple of days later that her father would remain hospitalized through the Christmas holiday under “elevated care” due to “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.” He soon signed a contract with the team and made his professional debut on Sept. “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today,” read the post.

Pelé, the Brazilian soccer legend who won three World Cups and became the sport's first global icon, has died at the age of 82.

“If I pass away one day, I am happy because I tried to do my best,” he told The Talks online magazine. The world first got a glimpse of Pelé’s dazzling ability in 1958, when he made his World Cup debut aged 17. The tournament capped Pelé’s World Cup career but not his time in the spotlight. He’s the greatest player of all time, and by some distance, I might add.” “When we won the World Cup, everybody knew about Brazil,” he told CNN’s Don Riddell in 2016. He gave a voice to the poor, to black people and especially: He gave visibility to Brazil. As a teenager, Pelé left home and began training with Santos, scoring his first goal for the club side before his 16th birthday. He once wrote in the British newspaper Pelé’s wake will be held at Vila Belmiro, the headquarters of the Santos FC in São Paulo state, a spokesperson told CNN. [on Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/TheGeoffHurst/status/1608540805211516929) of his memories of Pelé, calling the late star “without doubt the best footballer I ever played against (with Bobby Moore being the best footballer I ever played alongside). Pelé was admitted to a hospital in São Paulo in late November for a respiratory infection and for complications related to colon cancer. He died on Thursday from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer, according to a statement from Albert Einstein Hospital.

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, a three-time World Cup champion who's largely considered to be one of the best players ever, has died.

The game was televised on ABC's "Wide World of Sports." Gave voice to the poor, blacks and mostly gave visibility to Brazil...He's gone, but his magic remains." "Pelé had a magnetic presence and, when you were with him, the rest of the world stopped," Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, said in a statement Thursday. "An inspiration to so many millions, a reference yesterday, today and forever. Rest in peace, O Rei." Pelé had been in and out of the hospital over the past year as he fought colon cancer. The Cosmos was the only club besides Santos that Pelé ever played for. "He turned football into art, into entertainment. Pelé won two additional World Cup titles -- in 1962 and 1970. He scored an astounding 618 goals in 636 games with Santos and won six Brazilian league titles. He scored 77 goals in 92 international appearances. Rest in peace."

“Oh, by the way,” the president began, almost as an aside, “my name's Ronald Reagan.” The Brazilian soccer star next to him needed no introduction. Everyone ...

He was effectively Brazil’s ambassador to the entire world, a man who moved in the company of He was finally able to capitalize on that fame when he moved to the United States in 1975: His three-year contract with New York Cosmos was worth $6 million, the equivalent of more than $34 million today. Brazil’s confidence was sky high then, and in Pelé the nation had found “O Rei,” its king, a nickname that would be attached to Pelé until his last breath. Even as he remained tied to Santos, though, Pelé’s fame was dovetailing with the start of modern sports sponsorship. With Pelé in its ranks, it was lured to Europe for monthslong tours, where it took on — He was nearing 30 as the 1970 tournament neared, and he had said he had enough. Yet his country, and its military leaders, wanted him to go, and he finally buckled to the pressure and traveled to Mexico with a team few at home believed could win the title. It is hard to overstate the meaning of the connection between the individual and the country, a link that endured at his death almost as strongly as it did in Pelé’s heyday, when he was among the most famous people in the world. His popularity also lifted him above the fray of domestic issues, soccer royalty in a nation still finding its way. That defeat, Rodrigues wrote, exemplified a collective inferiority complex Brazil saw in itself, not just in soccer but in its relationship with the rest of the world. Brazil’s canary yellow shirts and Pelé’s dazzling play became synonymous with the country itself, its calling cards to the world. For a country still looking to make its mark in the postwar years, Pelé’s arrival signaled Brazil’s coming-of-age.

¿De qué murió Pelé? FILE - Soccer star Pele, of the New York Cosmos,. La estrella del futbol Pelé, del Cosmos de Nueva ...

Pelé, la leyenda del fútbol que más títulos mundiales ha ganado, falleció el jueves en Sao Paulo, a la edad de 82 años. Pelé estaba recibiendo quimioterapia tras la extirpación de un tumor de colon en septiembre de 2021. “La inspiración y el amor han marcado el viaje del Rey Pelé, que ha fallecido hoy en paz.

El apodo que lo acompaña desde los 6 años. El que dejó atrás el Dico de su casa y el Gasolina de Santos. Pelé, tan simple como eso. El sobrenombre con el ...

Se fue Pelé, su fallecimiento pegó duro en el ambiente del fútbol, pero su historia perdurará al paso del tiempo. El que dejó atrás el Dico de su casa y el Gasolina de Santos. Fue el inicio de la historia, una historia plagada de gloria. Es cierto que con el paso del tiempo aparecieron otros nombres que rayaron a su altura: Maradona y Messi son claros ejemplos. Pero tanta fue la presión que finalmente aceptó. El apodo que lo acompaña desde los 6 años.