On the night of tears, Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue shone in the Brazilian colors. The US space agency Nasa honored the late Pelé with a constellation in green and yellow. Brazil and the whole football world are crying for “O Rei”.
“Football has lost its king. Pelé was the sun of Brazil,” wrote the French daily Le Figaro. After the death of the idol, the government of his native Brazil ordered three days of national mourning. “Pelé is immortal and we will always work to preserve his story and continue his legacy,” said CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues.
On Monday, fans in the port city of Santos can bid farewell to the three-time world champion. The coffin with the body will be laid out in the FC Santos stadium in the middle of the pitch, his long-standing club said. Pele will be buried with his family on Tuesday. Accordingly, he is buried in the 14-storey cemetery high-rise Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, where several family members and his partner Coutinho are already lying.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, as the unique striker was called by his full name, died of cancer on Thursday at the age of 82. “Pele, the king of football, was one of the greatest athletes of all time. The only three-time world champion proved with his actions that he was not only a great athlete, but also a great citizen and patriot who spread the name of Brazil everywhere.” , it said in a statement from the outgoing government of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.
Future head of state thanks Pelé
The future head of state, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will take office on the New Year, also paid tribute to Pelé. “I had a privilege that the younger Brazilians didn’t have: I saw Pelé play live. He left a certainty: there has never been a number 10 like him. Thank you Pelé,” he wrote on Twitter.
All over Brazil, people mourned the former exceptional player. “People here are very, very sad. Everyone is taking to the streets, everyone is crying for the greatest footballer of all time. This is a sad day for football, for the people of Brazil,” said former German international Kevin Kuranyi is currently on vacation in Brazil, the German Press Agency. In Três Corações, where Pelé was born, the faithful prayed for the exceptional athlete in the Matriz Sagrada Família church, where he was baptized.
Pelé: 77 goals in 92 games for the Seleção
The Brazilian was already a legend in his lifetime. World governing body FIFA named him one of the “Players of the 20th Century” along with Argentinian Diego Maradona, who died in 2020. With 77 goals in 92 international matches, Pelé is still the Seleção’s all-time record goalscorer. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the first time he was just 17 years old. His death has provoked countless dismayed reactions around the world.
“Pele was one of the greatest footballers to ever play. And as one of the most recognized athletes in the world, he understood the power of sport to bring people together,” former US President Barack Obama wrote on Twitter above a photo with Pele.
Ronaldo, who scored both goals in the 2002 World Cup final in Yokohama against Germany in Brazil’s last World Cup title, paid tribute to the deceased: “Unique. Brilliant. Technical. Creative. Perfect. Unmatched.” Pelé is the king of football, “the greatest of all time”. Pelé’s legacy will last for generations, wrote the former world-class forward. “Today and always we will celebrate you. Thank you Pelé. Rest in peace.”
Minutes of silence in the major European leagues
The three major European leagues in England, Italy and Spain announced that they would honor Pelé with minutes of silence on the coming matchdays. The legacy of the three-time world champion cannot be put into words, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino: “His life consists of more than just football. He changed perceptions in Brazil, in South America and around the world for the better.” Pelé has been immortal for a long time “and will therefore be with us forever.”
During the World Cup in Qatar, Brazil’s national team, which had failed again, was worried about the seriously ill Pelé. “Long before Maradona, Ronaldo and Messi, there wasn’t even a debate about the greatest footballer of all time. Every fan knew it was Pele and they adored him,” wrote the “Daily Mirror” in Great Britain. For national coach Hansi Flick, there has never been a “better player than Pelé, for me he was and is the king of football. His game was close to perfection, he was complete and had no weaknesses.”
