Diego Maradona and Pele (Reuters)
Pele, or in his full name: Edson Arantes do Nascimento, who is considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, passed away at the age of 82, leaving all of Brazil in mourning.
Pele has been suffering from cancer for the last few years, and in the last few days he suffered from heart and kidney failure and could hardly speak.
His family members came to his sickbed to say goodbye.
The man who changed the world of football.
Pele (Photo: Reuters)
Pele was not only the king of the World Cups, but the man who infected the entire world with the soccer bug and forever influenced the popularity of the industry.
He was born in 1940, in the town of Teres Curacaos in the state of Minas Gerais, when his parents named him after the inventor Thomas Edison.
In the shadow of his low achievements in school, the boy Edson stood out in the neighborhood football games until he followed his father Dondinho and joined the local team Beuro Atlético Clube.
Pele flourished and in 1956, when he was 16 years old, he moved to the youth department of Santos, one of the luxury clubs in Brazil.
Pele made his Santos debut before he was 16 years old.
The world discovered him two years later at the World Cup in Sweden.
A young boy who stunned the tournament with perfect technique and dizzying speed and was unstoppable.
Under pressure from his friends in the dressing room, Pele got the team shirt against the Soviet Union in the group stage.
In the quarter-finals he scored the winning goal in a 0:1 win over Wales, and in the semi-finals he scored a hat trick in 23 minutes in a 2:5 win over France.
Pele's debut World Cup ended with another miraculous pair of goals in 2:5 over Sweden in the final.
At the age of 17 (!) Pele finished the tournament with six goals and felt like he was living a dream.
The world fell at the feet of the boy, who broke down in tears when he brought Brazil its first trophy.
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Dominated the World Cup even at the age of 30. Pele (Photo: GettyImages)
Four years later, in Chile 1962, Pele was injured in the team's second game against Czechoslovakia and had to watch from the sidelines as his teammates, led by Garrincha, defended the title.
Also in 1966 Pele suffered from bad luck.
Severe fouls caused his injury after only two games.
This time Brazil did not manage without him and was already eliminated in the group stage.
In Mexico 1970 it was no longer possible to stop the king of football.
The stars of the 1960s had already retired and Pele was chosen to lead a new generation.
Along with Jairzinho, Rivalino, Tostao, Gerson and Carlos Alberto, Brazil of 1970 was one of the most amazing teams ever to play in the World Cup.
Pele himself was a signature of breathtaking football moves.
He dominated the tournament with a high hand and reminded the world of his greatness.
It started with a rare and beautiful strike goal in a 1:4 win over Czechoslovakia, an assist for Jairzinho in a 0:1 win over England and a double against Romania in a 2:3 win.
In the quarter-finals, Brazil won 2:4 over Peru, which was coached by Didi, who served as Pele's mentor in the national team.
In the semi-finals, the Celso closed a 20-year debt with a 3:1 over Uruguay, with Pele adding another assist.
Italy was the opponent in the final.
Pele scored first and added two assists in a 1:4 victory.
Terchizio Borganic, who guarded Pele in that game, said: "I told myself he was made of skin and bones like everyone else - but I was wrong."
A year later, in July 1971, Pele played the last game in Brazil's uniform.
In his 14 years in the national team, he recorded 92 appearances and 77 goals - Brazil's all-time top scorer.
Three years later, in 1974, he hung up his boots after 18 years in the Santos uniform.
His numbers are unimaginable - 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.
No less than 92 times in his career, Pele scored a hat trick, in 30 cases he scored four and in six different cases he scored five.
At Santos, every year on November 19, they celebrate "Pele Day", the day the legend scored his 1,000th goal in the club's uniform.
1,281 goals in a Santos uniform.
Pele before his last game (Photo: GettyImages, Hulton Archive)
In 1975 Pele came back from retirement and signed with the American New York Cosmos.
On October 1, 1977, in front of a full crowd at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Pele finally hung up his shoes in a celebratory tribute game between the Cosmos and Santos.
He played one half for each team, scored a goal with a free kick, and at the end ran around the field with the flags of the United States and Brazil.
Since his retirement, Pele has become an ambassador for football.
He reached the remotest places in the world to spread the gospel of the game to children and dedicated his life to charitable actions.
"I have the responsibility to show the kids how to be football players, but also how to be human beings," he said previously.
FIFA made him an ambassador on its behalf, while in Brazil he is called a "national treasure".
National Treasury of Brazil.
Pele (Photo: Reuters)
1/30 On top of the world already at the age of 17 (Photo: AP)
Even in his last years, the king of football remained an influential figure who is an integral part of the game and was a revered icon even for those who did not get to see him play.
A well-written legend in the history of football.
A player who will forever be remembered as a man who changed the face of the popular game in the world.
sport
world football
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Brazil national team
