Pele – who was also known as the Black Pearl – has left behind a great legacy and the world will always remember him as one of the Greatest of All Time. His daughter confirmed his death in Sau Paulo on December 29.
The news of his demise spread like a wildfire on social media and the entire sporting fraternity mourned his passing and poured their tribute. Pele is the second greatest footballer to leave his fans after Argentine great Diego Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020. With his demise, the ‘beautiful game’ now witnessed the end of an era of the golden years of football.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Tres Coracoes in 1940, Pele made his debut for Brazil at the age of 16 and the world took notice of his game and craft in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, which Brazil ended up winning.
How World is Reacting over Pele’s death
Footballers, football clubs, cricketers, other athletes and commentators took to their social media handles and paid tribute to the legendary forward.
News of Pele’s passing sent shock waves across the world of football, but nowhere would the impact be felt stronger than at Santos – a club where he spent 18 years, scoring 643 goals in 659 matches.
In a short but powerful tribute to the man many regard to be the greatest ever, Santos posted a picture of a crown with just a single word ‘eterno’ – eternal.
The CBF’s Twitter account followed suit, sharing an image of Pele alongside the caption of ‘eterno’ but adding an infinity symbol instead of 2022 as the year of his death.
“I have so many memories of Pele, without doubt, the best footballer I ever played against (with Bobby Moore being the best footballer I ever played alongside). For me, Pele remains the greatest of all time and I was proud to be on the pitch with him. RIP Pele and thank you,” wrote legendary England footballer Sir Geoff Hurst on Twitter.
????????❤️ https://t.co/ld3uXws3oD
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) December 29, 2022
German footballer Mesut Ozil wrote on Twitter, “Rest in peace to one of the greatest legends of the game????⚽???? Your legacy will live forever. I’m sure ‘Heaven FC’ with Maradona and Pele together will be invincible forever ????????????????????????????.”
“Very sad day for football! A myth of this sport is leaving us. Admired and loved. RIP Pele,” wrote Iker Casillas.
El Barça lamenta profundament la mort del “Rei” Pelé, un dels millors jugadors de tots els temps. Amb ell, el futbol es va fer més gran. Descansi en pau. pic.twitter.com/f9vdzjWllr
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) December 29, 2022
Indian Football also expressed its condolences and tweeted, “We mourn the loss of Brazilian footballing legend #Pele. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult hour????.”
A King, A Legend, A Great, An Icon Of Our Game! RIP Pele ????????????
— Ashley Young (@youngy18) December 29, 2022
“The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten. RIP KING,” French striker Kylian Mbappe – who won the Golden Boot in FIFA World Cup 2022 – tweeted.
The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.
RIP KING ????????… pic.twitter.com/F55PrcM2Ud— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 29, 2022
Former India cricketer VVS Laxman tweeted, “End of an Era. Some sportspersons leave a mark which inspires generations. The great Pele’s legacy and achievements will be cherished by many generations to come. My deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans. #Pele.”
“A Magician on the field and one of the greatest sportspersons to have graced the planet. Heartfelt condolences to his family and well wishers all around the world. #Pele,” wrote former India cricketer Virender Sehwag in his Twitter post.
“All of us at Mumbai City mourn the passing of one of the game’s eternal greats, Pelé. The beautiful game is forever indebted,” tweeted ISL side Mumbai City FC.
“From the time we were very young, we were introduced to the legend of Pele. And it never diminished. And it never will,” wrote veteran India commentator Harsha Bhogle.
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