The Death of Pele
Hospitalized for several weeks in Sao Paulo, Pele died on Thursday, December 29, 2022, at the age of 82. The only three-time World Cup winner, the Brazilian, considered by many to be the best player in the history of football, leaves an indelible mark. For weeks, his state of health had become worrying and his family had gathered around him as Brazilians braced for the death of Pele, after battle with colon cancer.
He played official matches scoring 778 goals in 846 football matches. From 1956, the year of his debut until the end of his club career (in New York) in 1977. Was crowned the best player of the 20th century by FIFA, 1970 World Cup best player, FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2013. According to FIFA, which also counting all of his friendlies, he would play 1363 games and score 1281 goals (including 6 quintuplets, 30 quadruplets, and 92 triplets). At the World Cup, Pelé scored 12 goals in 14 matches and scored at least 1 goal in 4 editions.
The winner of three World Cups,
He is already the only one to have won three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970). He also participated in the first hours of glory of Brazilian football, those which still contribute to the sporting legend of this country today. It is therefore no coincidence that he was also named athlete of the century in 1999 by the International Olympic Committee. He won his first World Cup when he was only 17 years old and put on the panoply of a young prodigy thanks in particular to a sumptuous goal scored against the French team in the semi-finals (5-2).
But the 1970 World Cup remains forever its most glorious moment. That year, at the age of 29, he was in full possession of his faculties and put on his conductor’s costume to guide one of the finest teams that football has offered us. This Mexican World Cup being the first to be broadcast live and in color, the prowess of Pelé remains well anchored in the collective imagination. He also owes his title of best player in history to this unprecedented media exposure and relegates to the background the previous glories of international football such as Alfredo Di Stefano.
Official Pele’s stats
| Club/Selection | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Santos FC | 660 | 643 |
| New York Cosmos | 64 | 37 |
| Brazil | 98 | 80 |
| Military Selection | 4 | 4 |
| Sao Paulo selection | 15 | 12 |
| Other selections | 5 | 2 |
| Total | 846 | 778 |
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Pelé. We extend our condoleances 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.
Até sempre, o Rei. pic.twitter.com/SkQeIYe6jg
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) December 29, 2022
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Sources: PinterPandai, FIFA
Photo credit: Marcello Casal Jr./ABr, CC BY 3.0 BR, via Wikimedia Commons
