Brazil football legend Pele, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 82.
President of FantaXtik SMM, Benson Chukwueke, pay tribute:
"For me, Pele is the symbol of football; some call it soccer. It was during his time as a player that the face of football changed from being just another sport to an extraordinary art and buffet of entertainment that passionately held people of all ages, culture and religion spellbound across the world over."
He was the only player to have won the FIFA World Cup three times and his skill and imagination were incomparable. Pelé did things that no other player would even dream of, such as the famous dummy in the 1970 FIFA World Cup semi-final that became known as the “Pelé run-around.” Or the goal he scored in the 1958 FIFA World Cup final as a 17-year-old when he flicked the ball over a defender and volleyed it into the net.
"May His Soul Rest In Peace."
The former striker, who is the only player in history to win three World Cups, passed away at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo following a battle with cancer.
Pele, who is Brazil's joint all-time top scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches, became an icon of the game after winning the World Cup in 1958 as a 17-year-old, netting twice in the final to defeat hosts Sweden.
A message from Pele's official Twitter account on Thursday read: "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. Love, love and love, forever."
Tribute to Pele
Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, to a poor family in Sao Paulo, won the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cups with Brazil.
Injury restricted his contribution to Brazil's triumph in 1962 in Chile but he was player of the tournament eight years later, as Brazil assembled one of the greatest sides of all time and lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in Mexico thanks to a 4-1 win over Italy in which Pele scored the opening goal.
That goal makes him one of only five players to have scored in two World Cup finals and, thanks to his exploits in 1958, he remains the youngest player to have netted a goal at the tournament.
In total, Pele scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup appearances and also provided 10 assists - the most by any player in the history of the competition, and a reminder that he was much more than a goalscorer.`
It was his spectacular scoring feats, though, that made him a Santos legend at club level.
Pele holds his hometown side's all-time goal record and helped them to two Copa Libertadores titles and six Brazilian league crowns during a glittering 18-year spell with the club.
Pele, who scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games for club and country during his career, ended his playing days at New York Cosmos and retired from football in 1977.
After retiring, Pele acted as an ambassador for football. In 2013, he was awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in recognition of his career and achievements. In 2020, he was named in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, a greatest of all-time XI.
Three days of mourning for Pele have been declared by the Brazilian government.
Neymar: King Pele is forever
Neymar, Brazil's joint-highest scorer in men's international football alongside Pele, shared an emotional tribute to his idol following his passing.
"'Before Pelé, 10, was just a number'," Neymar, who wears the No 10 for Brazil and also started his career with Santos, wrote in a post on Instagram.
"I've read this phrase somewhere, at some point in my life. But this sentence, beautiful, is incomplete.
"I would say before Pelé football was just a sport. Pelé has changed it all. He turned football into art, into entertainment.
"He gave voice to the poor, to black people and especially: he gave visibility to Brazil. Soccer and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He's gone but his magic remains. Pelé is forever."
One of the greatest': Sport pays tribute to Pele
