Pele, probably the greatest player in football history, passed away at the age of 82.
Over the course of a 21-year career, he is credited with scoring a world-record 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, including 77 goals in 92 international games.
Pele was selected as Fifa’s Player of the Century in 2000. Pele is the only player to have won the World Cup three times, taking home the trophy in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
In recent years, he has experienced kidney and prostate issues.
In September 2021, the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo performed surgery to remove a colon tumor that had been found during normal examinations. In the final days of November 2022, he was readmitted to the hospital.
Kely Nascimento, his daughter, often posted updates on social media from the hospital to inform her followers of her father’s status.
On Thursday she posted a picture of what appeared to be Pele’s family’s hands on his body in hospital and wrote: “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, rose to fame when, at the age of 17, he assisted Brazil in winning the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. By the knockout rounds, he had forced his way into the starting lineup.
He scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Wales in the quarterfinals, three goals in a comeback victory over France in the semifinals, and two goals in a 5-2 victory over the hosts in the championship game.
At the age of 15, Pele made his club debut for Santos, scoring in a 7-1 victory over Corinthians de Santo André.
It was the first of 643 goals he would score for the club in official tournaments over the course of 19 years, while Santos claims the number is actually higher than 1,000 when exhibition matches are included, many of which were against illustrious European opposition.
