Izuchukwu OkosiTragedy struck the football world on Thursday evening as Brazilian football legend, Edson Arantes dos Nascimento, best known as Pele, died following a long battle with colon cancer, his agent Joe Fraga and his family confirmed.
The three-time FIFA World Cup winner spent Christmas in hospital in the company of his family but his representatives posted an emotion-laden post on his social media accounts to announce his demise at age of 82.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today.”
One memorable incident that Pele’s career impacted on the Nigerian state was when ceasefire was called during the Civil War for the opposing factions to watch a game that he played in.
Tributes poured in from around the world for the late football legend, including one from his daughter, documentary filmmaker Kely Nascimento.
She posted a photograph to her Instagram showing family members holding his hand as he rested in a hospital bed.
“Everything we are is thanks to you,” Nascimento wrote. “We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Pele had been hospitalised since November with multiple ailments, including a respiratory infection. The 82-year-old three-time World Cup winner was also suffering from heart and kidney problems.
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Pele had a tumour removed from his colon in September 2021. He was admitted to the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on November 29.
Doctors attending to him had said his colon cancer was showing “progression” and he needed “more extensive care to treat kidney and heart failure.”
Pele was regarded as the Greatest of All Time albeit the trio of Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are all in the conversation for that biggest individual ‘prize’.
The Vasco Da Gama star never played outside of the Brazilian league as he was declared a national treasure by the government despite interests from European clubs.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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