Brazilian soccer legend Pelé dies at 82

Brazilian and world soccer legend Pele, who won three World Cups and became the sport’s first global icon, has died at the age of 82.

Pelé was admitted to a hospital in São Paulo in late November for a respiratory infection and for complications related to colon cancer. Last week, the hospital said his health had worsened as his cancer progressed.

Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações – an inland city roughly 155 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro – in 1940, before his family moved to the city of Bauru in São Paulo.

As a teenager, Pelé left home and began training with Santos, scoring his first goal for the club side before his 16th birthday. He would go on to score 619 times over 638 appearances for the club, but it is his feats in the iconic yellow jersey of Brazil for which he is best remembered.

The world first got a glimpse of Pelé’s dazzling ability in 1958, when he made his World Cup debut aged 17. He scored Brazil’s only goal in the country’s quarter final victory against Wales, then netted a hat-trick in the semi final against France and two in the final against host Sweden.

Pele’s has controversial goal tally of 1,283 goals during his football career and that puts him top of the charts in football history as the greatest goal scorer ever.

Source: SintimMedia