Pele The King Of Football Is No More

Legendary or the King of Football Pele is no more. He died at the age of 82 on Thursday.

Pele was in Albert Einstein Hospital in Sau Paulo since late November amid colon cancer and heart problem. Brazil announces three-days of mourning for the three time world cup winner on Friday for legend footballer Pele.

The football world from former teammates to current stars came together to honor “O Rei” , who transformed the sports during his professional career that began when he was a teenager.

Current stars Neymar, Ronaldo, Mbappe give him tribute in his own way. Neymar said “Pele “transformed football into an art.” Mbappe said his “legacy will never be forgotten.” and Cristiano Ronaldo called him an “inspiration to millions”

Pele football career

Pele was the first player to win three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He scored 1281 goals in 1363 matches during a 21 year long career. He was Included in the Guinness Book of World Record.

Health

In 1977, Brazilian media reported that Pelé had his right kidney removed. In September 2021, Pelé had surgery to remove a tumour on the right side of his colon. After fighting for so long legend took his last breath on thursday in Albert Einstein Hospital in Sau Paulo.

The city declared seven days of mourning as fans flocked to the team’s stadium to leave flowers. In front of the Sao Paulo hospital where he died, fans held up a banner which read: “Eternal King Pele”.

In a testament to Pele’s influence, international figures including US President Joe Biden and former leader Barack Obama, Brazilian music legends Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, and International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach also paid tribute

SPORTS ROYALTY

Pele reached at peak of his greatness at the 1970 World cup in Mexico. The first broadcast in color, where he starred on the greatest team of all time with talent like Rivellino. Tosanto, and Jairzinho.

He was often welcomed like royalty when traveling abroad with Santos or the national team. Legend has it that his arrival in Nigeria in 1969 prompted a 48-hour truce in the bloody Biafra war.

Puma once paid Pele US$120000 to tie his shoes during the 1970 FIFA World Cup in the midst of the Adidas “sneaker war”. During peak of his career he was considered the one of the influential or the best footballer of all time.