Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, winner of record 3 World Cups and standard-bearer for ‘the beautiful game,’ has died at 82 years old.
Pele, a famous Brazilian football player, passed away at the age of 82, according to his agent.
The former Santos FC star had been a patient at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo since 29 November. He was widely considered as one of the best footballers of all time.
He had been battling colon cancer since September 2021, and a medical assessment just before Christmas revealed that he required treatment for cardiac and renal problems.
Pele, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, started playing for Santos at the age of 15 and for the Brazilian national team a year later. At the 1958 World Cup, he made his debut as a 17-year-old.
He was the only player to win three World Cups during his international career, in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
His contribution to Brazil’s third win, in Mexico in 1970, has been immortalised in football lore because he was a vital member of what is perhaps the best international squad in history.
In 831 games throughout the course of his illustrious 20-year career from 1957 to 1977, he scored 757 goals, however Santos contends the number was closer to 1,000.
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