Edson Arantes do Nascimento, as he became known as Pele, and one of the world’s greatest and most popular footballers, died Thursday after a long battle with cancer. he was 82 years old.
Pele was born in 1940 in Torres Coracoez, Minas Gerais and grew up in poverty. His parents couldn’t even afford football. An old sock filled with newspaper was the first “ball” his magical foot kicked, but it was enough to get him hooked on the game and people starting to notice that he was different.
His unparalleled skill saw him score two goals in the 1958 World Cup final, leading Brazil to victory over Sweden. he was just 17 years old.
Known for coining the term “beautiful game” for football, Pele also helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1962 and 1970.
In addition to skill and charisma, a certain mysticism always surrounded the character of the football king.
One of his many famous quotes from the last game he played in New York in 1977 was to honor children, and in his limited English he simply said, “Love, love, love,’ he said.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has declared three days of mourning as the country mourns Pele’s death.
His funeral will take place at the Vila Belmiro stadium outside São Paulo, where Pele played some of the best matches of his career.