Brazil legend and icon Pele dies at age 82

Brazilian legend and football icon Pele tragically passed away on Thursday the 29th of December, at the age of 82. The former Brazil, Santos, and New York Cosmos striker was hospitalized in late November due to his battle with colon cancer and eventually died at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.

The hospital confirmed the death of the “King of Football” on Thursday afternoon, “due to the failure of multiple organs, a result of the progression of cancer of colon associated with his previous clinical condition.”

A statement from Pele’s official Instagram page read: “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. “In his journey, Edson charmed everyone with his brilliance in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all around the world, and spread what he most believed to be the cure to all our problems: love.

“His message in life becomes a legacy for future generations: Love love and love forever.”

Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro has announced three days of national mourning following the news of Pele’s passing, and tributes have poured in from the footballing community in honour of the icon.

The details of his funeral were released by his former club Santos. His body will be moved from the hospital to the club’s Estadio Urbano Caldeira on Monday morning, where the coffin will be placed in the centre of the pitch for the public to pay respects. On Tuesday, there will be a procession through the streets of Santos in Sao Paulo to a private family burial.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who was known as Pele, is the only player in history to win three FIFA World Cup titles. The striker burst onto the scenes at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden as a 17-year-old. Pele became the youngest player in history to lift the trophy and scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against France before adding a brace in the final.

Pele’s international career spanned 14 years, and the striker scored a joint-record 77 goals for Brazil. The forward is also one of three players to score at four different FIFA World Cups and was part of Brazil’s World Cup-winning sides in 1962 and 1970 in Mexico.

Pele was named the player of the century in 1999 and was also named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Times magazine.