Called by various names such as ‘Gasolina’, ‘The Black Pearl’ and ‘O Rei’ (The King), the nickname that stuck like glue to Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who, as ‘Pele’, became the greatest footballer the world has ever known.
It is with that name he left the world as the most cherished and loved sports star we have ever seen.
Pele, 82, passed away in a private hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after spending nearly a month, battling complications related to advanced cancer.
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He had a colon tumor removed in September 2021 and neither his family, nor doctors, specified whether it had spread to other organs. He was recently under “elevated care” related to “kidney and cardiac dysfunction”.
Labelled “the greatest” by FIFA, football’s world governing body, named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999 and included in TIME Magazine’s list of 100 most important people of the 20th century, Pele was in 2000 voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award.
But for millions of fans of the game around the globe, Pele was the first person who made football Jogo Bonito, “the beautiful game”.
He was the original No. 10 of world football, a number now sported by Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbapp. He was the genius who played the game with passion and was so unstoppable that fouling him was the only option for the numerous defenders that he faced.
A player of sublime skills, great presence in the field, immaculate positional sense, magical dribbling skills, two brilliant feet and a devastatingly powerful shot, right-footed Pele was thus far the only footballer to have lifted the World Cup thrice — 1958, 1962 and 1970.
The King may have died, but his legend will live forever
Football’s original G.O.A.T., the man who made football ‘the beautiful game’, global sporting hero and Brazil’s former sports minister, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who, as ‘Pele’, overawed the world and became the sport’s original legend, passed away on Thursday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil, losing his battle against cancer, at the age of 82.
Called by various names such as ‘Gasolina’, ‘The Black Pearl’ and ‘O Rei’ (The King), but it was as ‘Pele’ that he has left the world as the most cherished and loved sports star it has ever seen.
Pele, 82, passed away in a private hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after spending nearly a month, battling complications related to advanced cancer.
He had a colon tumour removed in September 2021 and neither his family, nor doctors, specified whether it had spread to other organs. He was recently under “elevated care” related to :kidney and cardiac dysfunction”.
Labelled “the greatest” by FIFA, football’s world governing body, named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999 and included in TIME Magazine’s list of 100 most important people of the 20th century, Pele was in 2000 voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award.
But for millions of fans of the game around the globe, Pele was the first person who made football ‘Jogo Bonito’, “the beautiful game”.
He was the original No. 10 of world football, a number now sported by Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbapp. He was the genius who played the game with passion and was so unstoppable that fouling him was the only option for the numerous defenders that he faced.
A player of sublime skills, great presence in the field, immaculate positional sense, magical dribbling skills, two brilliant feet and a devastatingly powerful shot, right-footed Pele was thus far the only footballer to have lifted the World Cup thrice — 1958, 1962 and 1970.
In his nearly-two-decade-long career, Pele scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which included friendlies. This is recognised as a Guinness World Record. He is also the youngest-ever scorer for Brazil — and holds the record still — and at 17 was the youngest to play in a World Cup final.
Born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940, in a small provincial town in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Pele’s aura grew even stronger after his retirement as he travelled all over the world as ‘The King’ and was hosted by royalty, heads of government and billionaires.
He was declared the Natural Treasure by Brazil’s federal government in the 1960s to prevent him from being taken to Europe to ply his trade there. On one occasion, he got a civil war stopped as the two warring factions in Nigeria announced a ceasefire to coincide with Pele’s visit to their region.
Born in poverty to Fluminense footballer Dondinho (born Joao Ramos do Nascimento) and Celeste Arantes, Pele made his debut for Santos, the only club he represented in an official league, at the age of 16 in 1956. He played for Santos from 1956 till 1974, scoring 648 goals in 659 appearances.
Pele enhanced Santos’s recognition around the world, touring various countries with the team and drawing huge crowds. From 1975 to 1977, Pele played for the New York Cosmos, making the American club a household name. Pele played 56 matches for Cosmos in three years, scoring 31 goals.
‘The King’ made his first impact on the international stage at the 1958 World Cup as a 17-year-old, scoring some impressive goals, including two in the 5-2 win against Sweden in the final as he helped Brazil win their first World Cup. At the international level, he scored 77 goals in 92 matches.
He has won dozens of awards and set a string of records in world football — he was, for instance, the youngest player to play in the World Cup and lift it (he was aged 17 years 244 days) and also the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup, besides winning honours beyond the football field — he was given an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.
He was the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 1994. In 1995, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed Pele to the position of Extraordinary Minister for Sport, a position he utilised to propose legislation for reducing corruption in Brazilian football, which is now known as the Pele Law.
A multi-faceted personality, Pele published many books, including his autobiographies, and even starred in movies — the most famous of them being the Hollywood flick, ‘Escape to Victory’, which had Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine in the lead roles. He also acted in Brazilian movies, television serials and documentaries.
But more than all these achievements and aspects of his life, Pele always had a place in and ruled the hearts of his million of fans around the globe like The King he was. He was non-controversial and a genius who lacked the flawed personality of someone like a Maradona or a George Best.
There were some controversies related to his businesses, notably allegations of misappropriation of funds related to Unicef, but nothing was ever proved. Pele participated in many humanitarian projects after retiring as a footballer, which only enhanced his reputation.
It is this universal appeal as a humble, loveable and well-respected human being that resulted in many football players, including France’s World Cup hero Kylian Mbappe, sending him their wishes as Pele fought for his life in a hospital in Sao Paulo.
The King may have died, but his memories will be alive forever!
Mohun Bagan, Sehwag, Laxman and football greats pay tributes to Pele
The sports world on Thursday reacted with sadness to the passing away of Pele, Brazil’s legendary player and three-time World Cup winner, paying rich tributes to the man known as The King.
Pele passed away at a hospital in Sao Paulo aged 82 after a month-long battle with respiratory and cardiac complications arising from cancer treatment.
“Gracias por todo lo que le diste al mundo del futbol. Rip legend #Pele (Rough translation: Thank you for everything you gave to the world of football. Rip legend),” tweeted former Argentine great Gabriel Batistuta.
“Rest in peace Pele, one of the greatest ever. What a role model on and off the pitch. Winner of 3 World Cups, unbelievable,” wrote England football Harry Maguire on his Twitter handle.
“RIP to one of the greatest players of all time!” said former England footballer Robbie Fowler.
Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag termed him as a magician on the field and the greatest sportsperson to grace the planet.
“A Magician on the field and one of the greatest sportspersons to have graced the planet. Heartfelt condolences to his family and well-wishers all around the world. #Pele,” Sehwag wrote.
Another Indian cricketer, V.V.S. Laxman, too paid his tributes to the departed soul.
“End of an Era. Some sportspersons leave a mark which inspires generations. The great Pele’s legacy and achievements will be cherished by many generations to come. My deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans. #Pele,” said Laxman on Twitter.
Indian football club Mohun Bagan, whose team played Pele’s New York Cosmos in an exhibition match on September 24, 1977 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, too paid its tributes to the legend.
“The King is Still Alive in Our Hearts! Adios King of Football! #Pele,” Bagan said on its official social media account.
Tributes pour in: ‘Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele’
In a moving tribute to the man who made football ‘the beautiful game’, his family put out a message that summed up his life on his official Twitter handle on Thursday morning local time, announcing his death.
“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. Love, love and love, forever.”
Pele’s daughter, Kelly Nascimento, posted a social media update where she shared a picture of her along with members of her family, and wrote: “We have to look out for each other, and hold tight.”
The news of Pele’s passing came after reports claiming that the condition of the football legend had worsened in recent days and he was put under “elevated care” related to “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions”.
In other tribute, Manchester United tweeted: “Rest in peace, Pele. Thank you for the joy you brought to football fans around the world.”
Unesco, which Pele had been representing since 1994 as the Champion for Sport, tweeted: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Pele. We extend our condolences to the Brazilian people and the football family. @Pele was @UNESCO Champion for Sport since 1994 and worked relentlessly to promote sport as a tool for peace. He will be greatly missed.”
The Three Lions posted a throwback picture of a bromantic moment between a shirtless Pele and an equally shirtless George Best tweeted: “One of the greatest to have graced the beautiful game. Farewell, Pele. You will never be forgotten.”
The only footballer to lift three FIFA World Cup titles (in 1958, 1962 and 1970), Pele, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, rose from the impoverished bylanes of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to become the world’s most recognised football player, considered by many as the greatest to have ever graced the game.
Married thrice, Pele is survived by two sons — Edinho, a professional footballer (goalkeeper), and Joshua — and his daughters — Kelly Cristina, Flavia Kurtz and Celeste, His daughter, Sandra Regina Arantes do Nascimento, who won a long legal battle to have the former football player recognised as her father, died from cancer in 2006 aged 42.
Pele spent the last month of his life at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, battling complications arising from advancing cancer.
The 82-year-old had earlier had a colon tumour removed in September 2021 and neither his family, nor doctors, specified whether it had spread to other organs. He was stable after surgery but had to return to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) a few weeks later following respiratory instability.
He was admitted to the hospital on November 29 for a reassessment of the treatment. However, a few days later, he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection and was receiving the necessary care.
King Pele: A glorious life of setting and breaking records
Here is a look at the records and accolades that came Pele’s way during his career and beyond:
FIFA World Cup Winner: 1958, 1962, 1970
FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: 1958
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (Best Player): 1970
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1958
France Football’s Ballon d’Or: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970
Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A: Winner in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
Copa Libertadores: Winner in 1962, 1963
Elected Citizen of the World by the United Nations: 1977
International Peace Award: 1978
FIFA Order of Merit: 1984
Elected UNESCO’s Champion of Sport: 1993
Winner of France Football’s World Cup Top 100 in 1930 to 1990: 1994
Football Player of the Century, elected by France Football’s Ballon d’Or Winners: 1999
TIME Magazine: One of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century: 1999
Greatest Player of the 20th Century, named by World Soccer: 1999
Athlete of the Century, elected by International Olympic Committee (IOC): 1999
World Player of the Century, voted by the IFFHS: 2000
South American Player of the Century, voted by the IFFHS: 2000
FIFA Player of the Century: 2000
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: 2000
Global Citizen Award, by the World Economic Forum: 2018
Ballon d’Or Dream Team: 2020
Knight of the Order of Rio Branco: 1967
Commander of the Order of Rio Branco (after he scored the 1,000th goal): 1969
RECORDS SET BY PELE
Most goals for Brazil’s national football team: 77 (95, including unofficial friendlies). Tied with Neymar.
Most goals in the Intercontinental Cup: 7
Most goals for Santos: 643 (in 659 competitive games)
Most goals scored in a single Campeonato Paulista season: 58 (in 38 competitive games,1958)
Most goals in a calendar year (recognised by FIFA): 127 (1959)
Most hat-tricks in world football: 92
Most career goals in world football (including friendlies): 1,283 (in 1,363 games)
Most FIFA World Cup winners’ medals: 3 (1958, 1962, 1970)
Youngest winner of a FIFA World Cup: Aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)
Youngest goal scorer in a FIFA World Cup match: Aged 17 years and 239 days (Brazil vs Wales, 1958)
Youngest player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup: Aged 17 years and 244 days (Brazil vs France, 1958)
Youngest player to play in a FIFA World Cup Final: Aged 17 years and 249 days (1958)
Youngest goal scorer in a FIFA World Cup Final: Aged 17 years and 249 days (Brazil vs Sweden, 1958)
Youngest player to start a knockout match at a FIFA World Cup
Youngest player to reach five FIFA World Cup knockout stage goals
Youngest goal scorer for Brazil’s national football team: Aged 16 years and nine months (Brazil vs Argentina, 1957)
The first player to score in three successive FIFA World Cups
‘Mere goodbye not enough’, says CR7; ‘RIP KING’, tweets Mbappe
Arguably the greatest player to play football, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pele (82), breathed his last at a Sao Paulo hospital on Thursday after losing a prolonged battle against cancer.
The three-time World Cup winner had a colon tumour removed in September 2021 and neither his family, nor doctors, specified whether it had spread to other organs. He was recently under ‘elevated care’ related to kidney and cardiac dysfunction.
Portuguese soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo paid a heart-touching tribute to the ‘Black Pearl’, soon after the news of his demise was made public.
Taking to his Instagram handle, Ronaldo wrote: “My deep condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular to the family of Edson Arantes do Nascimento. A mere ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pele will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing.
“An inspiration to so many millions, a reference yesterday, today and forever. The love you always showed me was reciprocated in every moment we shared even from distance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will live forever in each and every one of us football lovers. Rest in peace.”
Taking to Twitter, France’s World Cup winner and PSG forward Kylian Mbappe said, “The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten. RIP KING.”
Former England striker Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick in the final of the 1966 World Cup to lead his team to 4-2 win over West Germany, said: ” I have so many memories of Pele, without doubt the best footballer I ever played against (with Bobby Moore being the best footballer I ever played alongside). For me Pele remains the greatest of all time and I was proud to be on the the pitch with him. RIP Pele and thank you.”
Croatian midfielder and former Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic tweeted, “Your legacy is eternal. Thank you for everything. Vive O Rei.”
The day when Mohun Bagan nearly beat the Pele-led New York Cosmos
The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata normally gets jam packed for important cricket matches. But on September 24, 1977, the stadium was filled to the rafters for a football match — or more particularly, because just about anybody who could get a ticket or a pass had come to watch one player in action.
That player was none other than the Brazilian legend Pele, regarded by most football aficionados as the greatest player ever to grace the football field.
Pele visited India twice — the first time in 1977 as part of the New York Cosmos team, which he had joined towards the end of his career, travelling across the world to promote the game through exhibition matches.
On his second visit in 2015, Pele arrived in New Delhi and then went to Kolkata on a week-long tour. He witnessed the Subroto Cup U-17 final in Delhi.
It was his visit in 1977 that generated huge interest in the country and is still remembered by thousands of fans who had lined-up the road from Kolkata’s Dum Dum to his hotel and then from his hotel to the Eden Gardens, which had around 80,000 spectators.
It was an especially memorable visit for the team from the iconic Mohun Bagan club that played against the New York Cosmos and held the star-studded outfit, which also had Brazilian World Cup winner Carlos Alberto and Italian Giorgio Chinaglia, to a 2-2 draw.
“Lakhs of people gathered outside the Dum Dum Airport to greet the Brazilian legend. There were also teeming crowds outside his hotel in central Kolkata, waiting to catch a glimpse of the only man who had won three World Cups for his team,” football historian Novy Kapadia recounted the incident in his book, ‘Barefoot to Boots’.
The match is etched in the memory of players such as former India captain Subrata Bhattacharya, Pradeep Chowdhury, P.K. Bannerji, Surajit Sengupta and Mohammed Habib.
Bannerji and Chowdhury were tasked with marking the legend and they did a fine job. Habib had a great match and Pele later had a chat with the India striker and praised him for his performance.
According to another account, the Mohun Bagan players were so mesmerised by Pele’s presence on the ground that they abandoned their warm-up routine and just stood there to watch the Brazilian get ready for the match.
Many people would find it difficult to believe that an Indian club team was ever on the verge of victory against any outfit that had Pele in it. But it is a fact.
Admittedly, Pele, aged 38 at that time, was past his prime, but still enthralled fans with a superb display of his mercurial and magical skills.
Also, the Cosmos team, invited by some senior Mohun Bagan officials, did not get enough time to acclimatise and prepare for the match — also hampered by the ground, which was soggy due to overnight rain — and therefore managed to draw the match, thanks to a controversial penalty, after trailing till the fag end of the match.
Shyam Thapa and Akbar Ali had scored for Mohun Bagan and though the 80,000 fans, lucky enough to cram into the Eden Gardens, could not see Pele score a goal, it was still a moment of a lifetime for them to get a glimpse of the three-time World Champion and witness his sublime skills.
That memorable visit by the greatest footballer in the world has remained etched in the memory of all those lucky enough to get an opportunity to witness it.
It was Pele’s penultimate match as a professional and he retired from all forms of the game a few days later.
Pele’s most recent visit was to attend a conference organised by a leading newspaper. During that visit, the 75-year-old stayed in India for a week and visited Kolkata again, interacting with young players and administrators during his stay in the country.
As Pele passes on, many old-timers in Kolkata will be remembering the legend and his connection with India, especially with the City of Joy.
Obama on Pele
Former US President Barack Obama joined a galaxy of celebrities who mourned the passing of King Pele in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday.
Taking to Twitter, and sharing a picture of himself with the football legend, Obama said: “Pele was one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. And as one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, he understood the power of sports to bring people together. Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who loved and admired him.”
One of the most eloquent tributes, though, came from former England footballer Gary Linekar, a Golden Boot winner in his time and now a BBC presenter.
Linekar tweeted: “Pele has died. The most divine of footballers and joyous of men. He played a game only a few chosen ones have come close to. Three times he lifted the most coveted gold trophy in that beautiful yellow shirt. He may have left us but he’ll always have footballing immortality. RIP Pele”
Norway and Manchester City football star Erling Haaland may have tweeted nine words, but he said it all: “Everything you see any player doing, Pele did it first.”
Who is the real G.O.A.T: Pele, Maradona or Messi? The debate goes on…
Who is the greatest footballer of all? Football fans have always been divided on this issue with a large number favouring Pele, the original G.O.A.T. while there is an equal number who bestow the honour on Diego Maradona, the Argentine legend that won the World Cup in 1986, scoring mesmerising goals in the process.
The debate is never-ending just like the one that rages about the “ghost goal” that sealed England’s victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley.
Though there have been players such as Johan Cruyff, Eusebio, Fraz Beckenbauer, George Best and Alfredo de Stefano, who can raise a claim to the honour and are much-respected and idolised, the debate has always been reduced to Pele vs. Maradona.
In the year 2000, the two legends squared off in the FIFA Player of the Century, a one-time award created by football’s global body to decide the greatest footballer humankind has ever seen. Pele and Maradona were adjudged joint winners of the poll.
Initially, the award was to be conducted on the internet, but the rules were later changed to include expert voting through readers of FIFA Magazine and Grand Jury votes, as it was felt that Pele, who was the star of the pre-Internet era, could lose out to Maradona as the Internet generation had not seen Pele play.
As expected, Maradona topped the online poll with 63.60 per cent votes, while Pele was a distant second with just 18.53 per cent. It was a totally different scenario when it came to the votes polled by FIFA Magazine and the Grand Jury.
In that vote, Pele topped with 72.75 per cent with Alfredo Di Stefano second with 9.72 and Maradona a distant third with 6.0 per cent votes. FIFA therefore decided to declare them both joint winners.
Though the poll generated much controversy, the debate raged on with FIFA being criticised by Maradona fans for changing the rules and introducing the magazine and grand jury votes later.
Though players like Cristiano Rolando and Lionel Messi have surpassed Pele’s records in the 21st century, scoring more goals for clubs and bagging more Ballon d’Or awards, Pele still has notched up some numbers that the others have failed to match.
The Brazil legend played in four World Cups from 1958 to 1970, winning the title three times — Maradona and Messi have only one title; Ronaldo has none. Maradona too had played in four World Cups — 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994 (from which he was thrown out for testing positive for cocaine).
Messi has played in four World Cups, winning one — in Qatar a few weeks back. Ronaldo has played three World Cups but has struggled for much support at Portugal, only managing to guide them to the European title in 2020.
Pele also holds the record for being the youngest player to play in the World Cup, the youngest to score in the World Cup and in the final, and the youngest to score a World Cup hat trick.
Both Maradona and Messi started at a young age, but Maradona was ignored for the 1978 World Cup that Argentian hosted and won. He made his debut in 1982 and led Argentina to the title in 1986 and took them to the final in 1990 in Italy, where they lost to Germany 1-0.
There is one thing, however, that both Maradona and Messi have done that Pele could not — establish their mark and legend in Europe.
Pele spent his entire professional life in the Americas — mostly for Santos in Brazil and then three years from 1975 to 1977 for the New York Cosmos. Maradona made his name at Barcelona and Napoli, while Messi joined the Barca academy at a very young age and played for the Spanish giant for more than a decade before moving to PSG a couple of seasons back.
Pele also scored over Maradona on another count — he was a role model to millions with a clean-cut image, scandal-free and non-controversial.
Maradona, on the other hand, was a rebel and a flawed genius who lived his entire life on the edge. Messi is comparatively lightweight in this regard, though he has been a role model for many in his own quiet way.
Ronaldo has inspired a generation of football players in his native Portugal, but his life as a footballer has been more transient and controversial than Messi’s.
Though both Pele and Maradona respected each other’s football prowess, Pele always disliked the Argentine legend for “not being an example”, a role model, for youngsters because of his drug abuse and controversial nature.
Pele and Maradona have both left this world, Messi and Ronaldo still grace the football fields, but the debate on who is the greatest of them all shows no signs of winding down.
