Pele, the soccer genius who helped Brazil win three World Cups and was widely considered as the greatest player the world’s favourite sport had ever produced, has died. He was 82.
He had been undergoing cancer therapy since 2021 and died on Thursday at a hospital in Sao Paulo, according to the Associated Press.
Pele’s physical creativity, goalscoring touch, and graceful play helped establish Brazil’s position as the international soccer dream squad, motivating future generations to take up the sport. At the age of 17, he had his first taste of World Cup win in 1958, and he was a member of Brazil teams that won two more trophies in 1962 and 1970.
He scored 757 goals in professional games, including 77 for Brazil, as well as over 500 in unofficial “friendly” matches. It was debatable how to appropriately count his numerous goals. FIFA, the world soccer’s regulatory body, gives Pele credit for 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.
Even though he lacked the club spotlight of modern legends like as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Diego Maradona, who died in 2020, Pele was the first global soccer celebrity. Pele only played for two professional teams, over 20 years with Santos in Brazil and three seasons with the New York Cosmos, a US team active between 1970 and the mid-1980s.