Izuchukwu OkosiPresident Muhammad Buhari has joined world leaders, football administrators, past and present footballers and other eminent citizens to condole the family of football icon, Edson Arantes dos Nascimento best known as Pele.
The three-time FIFA World Cup winner died on Thursday evening after losing his battle to colon cancer at the age of 82.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPle spent the Christmas in a Brazilian hospital in the company of his family.
It was one of his routine checks at the health facility following numerous health challenges.
The former Vasco Da Gama star however died Thursday leaving behind him a humongous legacy as arguably the ‘Greatest of All Times (GOAT) in football.
The world’s greatest ever football player succumbed to death after suffering a debilitating bout of cancer.
Pele won three World Cups and scored over 1,281 goals, becoming the original football icon in a long career for which he was named the “Player of the Century” in the year 2000.
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In a tribute to the football legend on behalf of all Nigerians and signed by Shehu Garba, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, President Buhari says:
“May he rest in peace. He led a good life and made a huge contribution to the development of global football in particular and world sport in general.
“He had an enormous generousity of spirit and humility despite his greatness as a footballer and sportsman. He also built bridges across nations, races and even religions. He was a UN Ambassador of goodwill. Pele is gone but the world will never forget him. RIP. “
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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