Pele, the magical Brazilian soccer star who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and most famous athletes in modern history, has died at the age of 82, his daughter said Thursday on Instagram.
He had been in and out of hospital in recent months after being diagnosed with a tumor in his colon.
Pele, whose given name was Edson Arantes do Nasmiento, scored a world record 1,281 goals, and is the only player to win the World Cup three times.
With brilliant skills and a winning smile, he helped make soccer the world’s most popular sport and impressed popes, presidents and Hollywood stars in a seven-decade career as a player and ambassador for the game. What did
Born on October 23, 1940 in the small town of Minces Gares, or “Three Hearts” in Tres Coras, Edson Arantes do Niscimento learned the game from his father, a semi-professional player whose brilliant career was hampered by a knee injury. Derailed.
Many aspects of his youth are shrouded in legend, including the origin of his famous nickname. As Pele (sometimes) pointed out, he often played as a goalkeeper in neighborhood sports, and kids began comparing him to a local player named “Bile”—and the letters got twisted over the years.
Whatever the truth, he was soon wowing scouts not as a goalkeeper but as an attacking forward – a prototype number 10.
He was respected for the extent of his abilities, and more than any player since, he could do it all: he was two feet two, had great speed and stamina, he could head. , could pass, tackle—and of course, he could score. Objectives
He joined Santos at the age of 15 and turned the small coastal club into one of the most famous names in football.
During a brilliant 18-year spell at the club, he won every honor in Brazilian football, as well as two Copa Libertadores – the South American equivalent of the Champions League – and two Intercontinental Cups, the annual tournament between Europe’s best teams. Is. South America.
His talents were soon recognized by the national team and he was selected for Brazil’s squad for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden – although a team psychologist called the 17-year-old “obviously an infant”. And advised against playing it.
Pele scored a hat-trick within a half of the semi-final against France, and scored two more goals against the host Swedish team in the final – helping Brazil to its first championship.
Injuries kept him out of all but two matches in the 1962 Cup, which Brazil won. At the 1970 tournament in Mexico, a now fully grown 29-year-old Pele won the title for the third time with a Brazil team that included other stars such as Carlos Alberto Torres and Tostao, and was considered by many to be the greatest team of all time. do .
“I said to myself before the game, ‘He’s made of skin and bones like the others,'” said Italian defender Tarcisio Bergnich, accused of marking Pele in the 1970 final.
“But I was wrong.”
New York Star
Pele initially retired in 1974, but after discovering that ill-gotten gains had deserted him, he returned the following year to play in the new North American Soccer League for a then-staggering sum of about $1 million a year. Accepted the offer.
Pele’s charisma surprised even the die-hard New Yorkers. He hobnobbed with celebrities and once shared a table at the legendary Studio 54 nightclub with Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and Andy Warhol – who took exception to Paley saying that each had 15 Minutes will be famous.
“Pele was one of the few people who opposed my theory: instead of 15 minutes of fame, he would have 15 centuries,” said the artist.
