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Brazil and football fans around the world are mourning Pelé, the man celebrated as the greatest player in the history of the sport, who has died at the age of 82.
The death of one of the most popular and recognisable athletes of the 20th century was confirmed on Pelé’s official Instagram account, which carried the message: “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today.”
He had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer and died at the Albert Einstein Israelite hospital in São Paulo.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento but better known by his nickname, Pelé burst on to the global stage at 17 as a member of the Brazilian team that won the 1958 World Cup, the first of three he would go on to lift.
His style of dribbling and prolific goalscoring dazzled spectators, earning the adoration of a nation famous for its obsession with football as well as the respect and awe of opponents.
Decades after his retirement the star remained an iconic national figure and was still referred to as “o Rei do Futebol” — the King of Football.
While he mostly withdrew from public life as he battled cancer in recent years, Pelé remained prolific on social media and posted regularly ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
“In 1958, I walked the streets thinking about fulfilling the promise I made to my father,” he tweeted earlier this month, above a photo of himself as a young man on a street in Sweden, which held that year’s World Cup.
“I know that today many have made similar promises and are also going in search of their first World Cup”.
As reports emerged of his deteriorating health during the competition, messages of support flooded in from across the world. On Twitter, French forward Kylian Mbappé posted: “Pray for the King.” Former Germany international Jürgen Klinsmann called him “the outstanding personality of world football”.
Hailing from the town of Três Corações in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, Pelé made his debut for the São Paulo-based Santos in 1956 at the age of 15. He came on as a substitute and scored. A year later, he made his international debut against Argentina.
His trio of World Cups win with Brazil — in 1958, 1962 and 1970 — is a record that remains unequalled in international football.
“The last time I wore the jersey of the Brazilian team we put three stars on the shield,” he wrote on Twitter last month, referring to the nation’s three World Cup victories.
Pelé spent all his Brazilian club career at Santos, before moving to the US to play for the New York Cosmos in 1975 for three seasons, a stint that helped boost the sport’s popularity in the states. He earned 92 caps for Brazil’s national team, scoring 77 times. Between 1995 and 1998, Pelé was the country’s extraordinary minister for sports.
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