The death of one of the best athletes in history has covered the world in mourning this Thursday, but also in celebration of his life and legacy.
Pelé, the greatest soccer player in Brazil, the best of the 20th century (according to FIFA) and the only one in history to win three World Cups, died at the age of 82 in
a hospital in his country, after a month under care for complications
derived of colon cancer.
Family members, soccer players, personalities from sports, culture and even politics immediately reacted to the death of the Brazilian star, remembering him as an example of humility and talent.
His daughter Kely Nascimento posted a photo on her Instagram account announcing the death this afternoon.
In the image you can see the footballer's hands along with those of his closest relatives, who accompanied him in the hospital for a month, including Christmas.
"Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace," the post reads.
One of his biggest admirers, the Portuguese player
Cristiano Ronaldo,
published a heartfelt tribute on his Instagram account accompanied by a photo with Pelé.
"My deepest condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular to the family of Mr. Edson Arantes do Nascimento. A simple 'goodbye' to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that embraces the entire world of football at this time. Ronaldo wrote.
Lionel Messi, another Argentine soccer star, posted on Instagram a photo with Pele and wrote: "Rest in peace."
The Brazilian
Neymar Jr.
dedicated a tribute to him on his Instagram account.
"Before Pele, '10' was just a number. I read that sentence somewhere, at some point in my life. But this beautiful sentence is incomplete. I would say that before Pele, football was just a sport. Pele It changed everything", wrote the footballer.
"He transformed football into art, into entertainment
. He gave a voice to the poor, to the blacks and above all: he gave visibility to Brazil
. "
Brazil's president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said on his Twitter account that he had "a privilege that many of the younger Brazilians did not have."
"I saw Pelé play, live, in Pacaembu and Morumbi. Not play. I saw Pelé give a show. Because when he caught the ball he always did something special, which often ended in a goal," the president published in a thread.
"Few Brazilians have carried the name of our country as far as he has. As different from Portuguese as the language was, foreigners from the four cardinal points soon found a way to pronounce the magic word: Pele," he added.
The former president of the United States Barack Obama also joined the tributes on social networks and published an image in which he appears next to Pelé holding a shirt signed by the player.
Obama said Pele
"understood the power of sports to bring people together."
Another of soccer's young stars, Frenchman
Kylian Mbappé,
posted a photo with the star saying that "his legacy will never be forgotten."
And former Argentine soccer player
Jorge D'Alessandro
also lamented the news through social networks, describing Pelé as the "greatest player in Brazil in gold."
"Today one more star shines in the firmament," he said on Twitter, where he also posted a photo of Pelé with Argentine star Diego Armando Maradona.
The Spanish team Real Madrid published a statement in which it expressed admiration for the former soccer player.
[These are the health problems that Pelé faced in his life]
"The legend of Pelé will remain forever in the memory of all those who love this sport and his legacy makes him one of the great myths of world football," said the team, which
recalled that during his career Pelé scored a total of 1,282 goals
.
One last message was published on Pelé's official account after the news of his death:
“Inspiration and love mark the journey of King Pelé, who passed away today.
Love, love and love, forever."
On Twitter, the hashtag RIP to the GOAT
(acronym for "Greatest of All Time") quickly became a trend
, as thousands of fans continue to post the best moments and plays from a decades-long career.
