Legendary Brazilian footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento popularly known as Pele who is regarded as the greatest football player of all time has passed on at age 82.
It was reported that Pele was admitted in Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital, where he was undergoing treatment, it was also reported that the legend died around 3:27pm on Thursday after suffering from multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous medical condition.
The death of the three times World Cup winner was confirmed via his social media accounts “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. Love, love and love, forever.”the post read. He is credited with scoring a world record 1,281 goals in 1,366 appearances according to FIFA but the Brazilian Football Confederation and Santos claimed that Pele scored 1,283 goals in 1,367 appearances. In the same vein he was able to achieve World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970 for his country. He remains Brazil’s leading goal scorer, with 77 goals in 92 games.
It is said that a public funeral is set to be held outside Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Vila Belmiro Stadium, where he played for many years with the Santos football club. His casket is set to pass in front of the house of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes, before being placed in the center of the field where public will be able to pay their respects.
The Brazilian Football Confederation said: “Pele was much more than the greatest sportsperson of all time. “Our king of football was the greatest exponent of a victorious Brazil, who was never afraid when faced with difficulty. He promised his father a World Cup and he presented us with three” they quoted
