Rest in Peace

“I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint,” Pelé famously said.

Pele is now in God’s hands. 

Yes, Pele, who became one of the greatest players with his intelligent plays and extravagant control, is no more. 

Pele, the magical Brazilian football star who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died at 82. He died from multiple organ failure due to the progression of colon cancer.

Pele, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is expected to be buried in Santos, southeast of Sao Paulo, where he played for the city’s club from 1956 to 1974.

The club said – the public will be able to pay their final respects at Vila Belmiro Stadium. 

With sublime skills and a winning smile, he helped make football the world’s most popular sport and charmed popes, presidents, and Hollywood stars in a seven-decade career as a player and ambassador for the sport.

Pele ….Here is where the famous nickname began.

In Portuguese, when you kick the ball with the foot we say ‘Pe’, and maybe I made some mistakes, I don’t know, but my teammates started to say ‘Pe-lé’, more and more,” the Brazilian said. “I didn’t like it because my name was Edson, but it started and here I am.

• Guinness World Records credits Pelé with 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches. 
  It says –  he added more goals in “special appearances” after ending his career but doesn’t specify them. 

• Pele extraordinarily scored 127 goals for Santos in one calendar year, 1959.

He played in four World Cups and is the only player in history to win three world Cups, in 1958, 1962, and 1970, but his legacy stretched far beyond his trophy haul and remarkable goal-scoring record. His sumptuous range of skills makes him the embodiment of his country’s golden age of football.

• Pele is comfortably the greatest striker in Brazil’s illustrious history. When he finally retired in 1977, Pele had scored more than 1000 goals. 

• As a child, his first taste of soccer involved playing barefoot with socks and rags rolled up into a ball – a humble beginning that would grow into a long and fruitful career. But when he first took up the game, his ambitions were modest.

• Pele once said- “My dad was a good football player, he scored a lot of goals,”  “His name was Dondinho.  I wanted to be like him.

• 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 quarterfinal victory against Wales, then netted a hat-trick in the semifinal against France and two in the final against host Sweden.

• For more than 60 years, the name Pelé has been synonymous with soccer. He played in four World Cups and is the only player in history to win three, but his legacy stretched far beyond his trophy haul and remarkable goal-scoring record.

Brazilian footballer Neymar said — Pelé “changed everything.” In a post on Instagram, he wrote: “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!” he added.

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.”

On the death of Maradona in 2020. soccer legend Pele tweeted… “I lost a great friend (Maradona) and the world lost a legend ….One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.

Dear friends, it’s been a while since we talked about this. I want to let you know that I’m fine. I feel better every day. I don’t think even the mask for my protection can hide my happiness. Thank you very much to all of you who send me good energy daily,” he wrote in a November 2021 post on Instagram.

The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.

Our tribute to the great legend of football to Pele, Pray to God to give peace to his soul & strength to his family.

Please click below for the previous Blog..

# तुम्हारा इंतज़ार है # ….1

Please follow the blog on social media … visit my website to click below.

www.retiredkalam.com

Categories: infotainment