Pele – the only player in history to have won the World Cup three times has earned himself tributes from all over the world.
He became an icon of the game after winning the World Cup in 1958 at age 17, netting twice in the final to defeat hosts Sweden.
Pele became Brazil’s joint all-time top scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches, also the youngest player to have netted a goal at World Cup tournament.
A message from Pele’s official Twitter account on Thursday read: ‘Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. Love, love and love, forever.’
Pele scored a whooping 1,281 goals in 1,363 games for club and country during his career, and retired from football in 1977.
In Brazil, Christ the Redeemer statue is illuminated in the colours of the Brazilian national flag to honour late soccer legend Pele in Rio de Janeiro.
Pele, the Brazil footballing legend and three-time World Cup winner, has died at the age of 82 yesterday.
Pele had been treated for colon cancer, following surgery to remove a tumour in September 2021, and had required regular medical treatment.
After being admitted back into hospital at the end of November to re-evaluate his cancer treatment, he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection before subsequently being moved to palliative care when his body became unresponsive to chemotherapy.
