Legendary Brazilian footballer, Pele, passed away at the age of 82 after a long-term battle with cancer.
The Brazilian icon, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history, had been admitted to the hospital a few weeks ago as his health deteriorated. The legend succumbed to ill health as he passed away peacefully last night at the hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The 82-year-old is regarded as the greatest footballer to grace the beautiful game. He was instrumental in Brazil’s early success as he helped the national team win three FIFA World Cups. He is the only player in history to win the mega-event a record three times, 20 other players have managed to win the trophy on two occasions.
At the club level, Pele won 6 domestic titles and 2 Copa Libertadores with the Brazilian club, Santos. Pele is also credited to expand the beautiful game to North America during his two-year spell with the USA side, New York Cosmos.
After achieving everything on the pitch, Pele worked as an ambassador of the beautiful game all across the world. While his magnificent records on the pitch will never be forgotten, his off-field contributions to the globalization of football are kept in equal light.