According to a post his daughter posted on Instagram, Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot squalor to become one of the best and most well-known athletes in modern history, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82.
He spent the preceding few months in and out of the hospital after a tumor was found in his colon. Pele, real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is the only player to have won the World Cup three times and holds the record for most goals scored with 1,281.
He made soccer the most popular sport in the world during his seven-decade career as a player and soccer ambassador by captivating popes, presidents, and Hollywood celebrities with his exceptional skills and endearing smile.
His father, a semi-professional player whose promising career was cut short by a knee injury, taught Edson Arantes do Nascimento the game. Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on October 23, 1940, in the small Minas Gerais village of Tres Coraçes, or “Three Hearts.” His early years are shrouded in legend, including the beginning of his well-known moniker. Pele (sometimes) claimed that he frequently acted as the goalkeeper in neighborhood games, which eventually led to kids drawing similarities between him and a nearby player by the name of “Bile”. Whatever the case may be, he quickly dazzled scouts by playing attacking forward instead of the goalie – a prototype for number 10.
He was admired for his diverse set of abilities more than any other athlete before or since. He was two-footed, possessed amazing speed and endurance, and was capable of heading, passing, tackling, and of course, scoring goals. He joined Santos at the age of 15, and he contributed to making the underdog coastal team one of football’s most-known names. He won two Copa Libertadores, the South American version of the Champions League, and two Intercontinental Cups during his illustrious 18-year career at the club. The Intercontinental Cup is an annual competition between the top teams in Europe and South America. The 17-year-talent old’s was rapidly recognized by the national team, and he was chosen for the Brazil squad flying to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden despite a team psychologist labeling him as “obviously infantile” and advising against playing him.
Pele later went on to score three goals in the first period of Brazil’s semifinal game against France, a hat-trick, and two more in the final against Sweden, giving Brazil its first-ever trophy. He was injured in 1962, which prevented him from participating in all but two of Brazil’s wins.
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The Brazil team, which also included players like Carlos Alberto Torres and Tosto, won the title for the third time at the 1970 tournament in Mexico when a 29-year-old Pele, who was by this stage fully mature, played for them. The team is frequently hailed as the best team in history.
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