Pelé celebrates after Brazil win the 1970 World Cup. He won the tournament three times – in 1958, 1962 and 1970 – over a 14-year international career.
The 82-year-old Pelé, a Brazilian maestro whose mesmerising talent and athleticism made him one of football's greatest players, has passed away.
In November, Pelé, whose colon tumour was removed in 2021, was readmitted to the Albert Einstein hospital in So Paulo due to his failing health. On December 3, Pelé said on social media that he felt "strong, with a lot of optimism" following rumours that he was getting end-of-life care.
Following the "progression" of his colon cancer, according to a subsequent hospital statement on December 21, Pelé "needs additional treatment relating to renal and cardiac dysfunctions." His daughter Kely Nascimento posted on social media that his family had gathered at the hospital to celebrate Christmas with him.
Over the course of a 14-year international career that includes 77 goals in 92 appearances for his nation, Brazil's joint-all-time leading scorer won three World Cups as a player in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
He will be remembered most for his victory in 1970, leading an alluring squad that also featured Carlos Alberto, Jairzinho, Gérson, Tosto, and Rivelino as they went past Mexico. His canary yellow No. 10 shirt became a symbol of the game at that time.
Brazil's 1970 World Cup champions were referred to as "more than a team" by World Soccer, who also said that they had "become a myth, a team to be held up as the finest exponents of the beautiful game." Their leader and motivation was Pelé.
Pelé was one of only three players to have scored in four World Cups and was known by the nicknames "the Black Pearl" and "the King." He scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, more than twice as many as his closest rival at the time of his retirement in 1977.
Pelé causes problems for the England defence at the 1970 World Cup, one of three he won as a player.
At the age of 15, Pelé started his professional career. A year later, he made his international debut. Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940. In a survey of Ballon d'Or winners in 1999, he was chosen as the player of the century, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most important individuals of the 20th century.
When the ill-fated New York Cosmos sought a marquee name to start a soccer attack on America in the 1970s, Pelé was one of the very few footballers to be recognised by the larger American public due to his fame in his heyday, which allowed him to meet popes and leaders of state.
Pelé pictured in London in 2006.
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