Football Legend Pelé, The Only Player To Win The World Cup Thrice
Pele, a legendary Brazilian soccer player who climbed out of abject poverty to become one of the world’s most famous athletes, passed away on Thursday at 82.
Pelé was considered a national treasure in Brazil and became a global superstar; a big reason soccer became popular in the U.S.
Brazil’s players had unfurled an enormous banner commemorating the soccer legend from his 1970 World Cup victory on the field for their quarterfinal match in Qatar. Simply, it said, “Pele!”
Kely Nascimento, Pele’s daughter, confirmed the news of her father’s passing on Instagram.
It was announced on Thursday by Pele’s family and agent Joe Fraga that the legendary Brazilian football player Pele died passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer.
On Thursday, his daughter Kely Nascimento took to Instagram to pay respect to her father.
Accompanying the post was a picture showing family members holding his hand while he lay in a hospital bed. Nascimento wrote in her message, “Everything we are is thanks to you.” “Our love for you is infinite. Rest in peace.”
The 82-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento; a three-time World Cup winner, was dealing with heart and renal issues in addition to his other health issues.
In September 2021, Pele underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his colon.
On November 29, he checked into the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.
Pelé initially gained international attention as a teenage striker in 1958 during one of the first televised World Cups. He scored in the national championship against Sweden by chipping the ball high over his defender’s head and smashing it into the back of the net.
He subsequently scored the winning goal with a header (at 17, he remains the youngest player to score in a World Cup). Brazil’s economy was booming then, and the team’s excitement came to represent the country.
