- Brazil football great Pele died on Thursday evening after a battle with colon cancer
- Tributes have been flowing since his death and not only from the football fratenity
- Diplomats and world leaders have also mourned the three-time World Cup winner
After Pele passed away on Thursday, many people, including Barack Obama, Sylvester Stallone, and incoming Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, paid tribute to the legendary football player.
The three-time World Cup champion, who many consider to be the best footballer in history, passed away from multiple organ failure, according to the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo.
When Pele’s body stopped responding to therapy earlier in December, he was transferred to palliative care and joined by relatives in the hospital. Pele had been battling colon cancer.
Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazario and Cristiano Ronaldo were among numerous high-profile sporting stars to pay tribute to the 82-year-old, while other global figures echoed similar sentiments.
Pele won the FIFA World Cup three times with the Brazil national team. | PHOTO: Twitter |
“Pele was one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game,” former United States president Obama wrote on Twitter.
“And as one of the most recognisable 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.”
Pelé 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. pic.twitter.com/urGRDePaPv
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2022
Brazil president Lula added on social media: “I had the privilege that younger Brazilians didn’t have: I saw Pele play, live, at Pacaembu and Morumbi.
“Play? No. I saw Pele give a show. Because when he got the ball he always did something special, which often ended up in a goal.”
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also paid tribute.
“We mark the passing of the legendary Pele, known to many as the king of the ‘beautiful game’,” NASA posted. “This image of a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor shows the colours of Brazil.”
No player in the history of the competition has won the trophy more times than Pele did as Brazil experienced World Cup glory in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
The legendary forward, who appeared in the 1981 movie “Escape to Victory,” will also be remembered for his work on the big screen.
He portrayed Corporal Luis Fernandez in the film about Allies imprisoned in a German prison camp during World War II, in which the inmates play an exhibition football game against the Germans.
American movie star Stallone, who starred alongside Pele in the film, posted on Instagram: “PELE THE GREAT! Rest in peace! This was a good man.”
England’s 1966 World Cup winner Bobby Moore also appeared alongside Argentina great Ossie Ardiles, who wrote on Twitter: “The King of Kings has died. Extraordinary player. Unique.
“Three times World Cup winner, more than a thousand goals. My idol when young. He made football the beautiful game and truly international.
“My time playing alongside him in Escape to Victory was a dream come true. RIP Pele.”
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