Legendary Brazilian soccer player Pelé, a three-time World Cup winner and the sport’s first global icon, passed away Thursday at the age of 82.
“Everything that we are, is thanks to you,” his daughter Kely Nascimento wrote in a post on Instagram, under an image of family members holding Pele’s hands. “We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
After being admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo in late November for a respiratory infection and complications related to colon cancer, his health deteriorated last week. A statement from the hospital confirmed the cause of death was multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer.
After six decades, the name of Pelé has become synonymous with the sport of soccer. With four World Cup appearances, the Brazilian player is the only one in history to have won three. Beyond his impressive trophy haul and stellar goal scoring record, the soccer star has left behind a lasting legacy.
“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint,” Pelé famously said.
In response to the news, Pelé’s first club Santos FC honored the soccer legend on Twitter with the words “eternal” and an image of a crown. Tributes have since been pouring in from across the world.
Brazilian footballer Neymar took to Instagram to express his admiration for fellow Brazilian footballer Pelé, who he believes changed the face of football forever. In his post, Neymar highlighted the King of Football’s impact on the poor, the black community and Brazil, claiming that the country and the sport have both seen their global standing rise due to Pelé’s contribution.
“He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, to black people and especially: He gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King!” wrote Neymar.
Portuguese star forward Cristiano Ronaldo sent his condolences to Brazil in a post on Instagram, saying, “a mere “goodbye” to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that currently engulfs the entire football world.”
Kylian Mbappé of Paris Saint-Germain said of Pelé’s death: “The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.”
Former English soccer player Geoff Hurst wrote on Twitter of his memories of Pelé, calling the late star “without doubt the best footballer I ever played against (with Bobby Moore being the best footballer I ever played alongside). Pele remains the greatest of all time, and I was proud to be on the pitch with him. RIP Pele, and thank you.”
Brazil’s incoming President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took to Twitter to pay his respects to Pelé, saying, “few Brazilians took the name of our country as far as he did.”
“As different from Portuguese as the language was, foreigners from the four corners of the planet soon found a way to pronounce the magic word: ‘Pelé,’” Lula added.
On Monday, a public wake will be held for soccer legend Pelé at the Urbano Caldeira stadium in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. According to a statement from Santos FC, the wake at Vila Belmiro will begin when Pelé’s body is moved from the Albert Einstein Hospital to the pitch at dawn.
It will continue until 10 a.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) Tuesday, after which a funeral procession will take place in Santos, including a stop at the street of Pelé’s 100-year-old mother, Celeste Arantes.
The cortege will then proceed to the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery, where a private funeral for family members will be held.