Brazilian football legend Pele, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 82.
The former striker, who is the only player in history to win three World Cups, passed away at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo following a battle with cancer.
On Tuesday, 26th December, Pele at its worst in the hospital, the legend says goodbye to his loved ones
Pele says goodbye to family and friends from the hospital bed. Football legend, Pele is slowly losing the battle against Cancer, family says ‘his condition is worsening even further’. 😢🙏💔 pic.twitter.com/IvIQJ8zuXd
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) December 26, 2022
The three children of the “king” enthroned at his side, as they showed in a photo published on social networks. The former footballer, currently 82 years old, has been under the care of the hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, for a month. He suffers from colon cancer (discovered in September 2021) as well as kidney and heart dysfunctions.
Pele bids farewell to his children
If the diseases King Pele have progressed and worsened his health, a new medical assessment should be unveiled during the week, as announced by one of his daughters.
Pele, who is Brazil’s joint all-time top scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches, became an icon of the game after winning the World Cup in 1958 as a 17-year-old, netting twice in the final to defeat hosts Sweden.
Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, to a poor family in Sao Paulo, won the 1958, 1962, and 1970 World Cups with Brazil.
Injury restricted his contribution to Brazil’s triumph in 1962 in Chile but he was player of the tournament eight years later, as Brazil assembled one of the greatest sides of all time and lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in Mexico thanks to a 4-1 win over Italy in which Pele scored the opening goal.
He is now one of only five players to have scored in two World Cup finals, and thanks to his exploits in 1958, he continues to hold the record for the youngest player to have scored at the competition.
The most by any player in the history of the World Cup, Pele’s scores of 12 goals in 14 games and 10 assists are a reminder that he was much more than just a goalscorer.`
It was his spectacular scoring feats, though, that made him a Santos legend at the club level.
During a brilliant 18-year career with the club, Pele set the all-time goal-scoring record for his local team and led them to two Copa Libertadores championships and six Brazilian league victories.
Pele finished his playing career at New York Cosmos and retire from football in 1977 after scoring 1,281 goals in 1363 appearances for club and country.
Pele worked as a football ambassador after retiring. The FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur was given to him in 2013 in honor of his career and achievements. He was included in the Ballon d’Or Dream Team, an all-time best XI, in 2020.
