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Soccer Icon Pelé Dies At The Age Of 82
Young or old, Pelé felt right at home on the field with a ball close by. He was a champion and cheerleader for the game.
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Soccer Icon Pelé Dies At The Age Of 82.
Brazilian forward Pelé dribbles past a defender during a friendly match in 1960.
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About Pelé
The soccer star Edson Arantes do Nascimento — known around the world as Pelé — has died at 82. He’d been battling complications from colon cancer and had been admitted into a hospital in São Paulo last month.
One of his daughters, Kely Nascimento, announced his death on Instagram — showing a picture of his family’s hands holding his hand. “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Pelé was soccer’s global face for decades and is regarded by many as its best player of all time. He rose from humble beginnings in rural Brazil to eternalize a powerful and creative style of play.
“He walks on the field with one of those irresistible and fatal authorities. I would say that of a king,” penned Brazilian writer Nelson Rodrigues upon watching a 17-year-old Pelé play in 1958.
Pelé went on to reign over global soccer for the next 20 years, including a stint for the New York Cosmos, the only team outside Brazil for which he ever played.