The Brazilian icon Pele was receiving treatment for intestinal cancer when a tumor from his colon was removed in September 2021.
Pele was readmitted to the hospital in November after experiencing mental confusion, “decompensated heart failure,” and swelling all over his body.
The former Santos star released a statement at the beginning of the month in which he expressed his sentiment of being “strong and positive.”
He stayed in the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo throughout Christmas, nevertheless, and his family shared heartfelt pictures of him there.
The Brazilian‘s passing on Thursday afternoon in Brazil was confirmed by his agent, Joe Fraga.
“Inspiration and affection marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today,” said a statement on his official Twitter account.
Forever, love, love, and more love.
The former striker, who won the World Cup three times, first did so with his national team in 1958 when he was just 17 years old. He scored six goals during the competition, including twice in the final match.
Brazil won it again in 1970 with arguably one of the greatest teams in history, and this time he scored in the championship game. Four years later they successfully defended their title, something that hasn’t been done since.
In 92 games for his nation, he scored 77 goals. In 1970, he also won the Golden Ball, given to the tournament’s top player.
Because he only played in Brazil and America and the Ballon d’Or was only given to players from Europe during his career, he was ineligible.
Pele is now officially recognized by France Football as a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, putting him on a par with Lionel Messi for the most titles.
The Sao Paulo native played for his hometown team Santos from 1956 to 1974, contributing to their six league championships and two Copa Libertadores triumphs.
Due to the nature of teams traveling South America at the time, his goals in ‘friendlies’ are frequently counted in his goal total, which causes controversy even now.
Although some statistics show 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, he is credited with 775 goals in 840 recognized matches.
In 1975, the striker left Brazil for the United States and spent three seasons with the New York Cosmos, scoring 66 goals in 107 games.
Marcia Aoki, Pele’s wife, and their six kids are left behind.
