Pelé - The Story of the World's Greatest Footballer

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He was survived by his 100-year-old mother, Celeste, who, given her advanced age, did not understand her son's death; Pelé's sister Maria Lucia do Nascimento described their mother as "in her own little world". In 2012, Pelé was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh for "significant contribution to humanitarian and environmental causes, as well as his sporting achievements".

Brazil 1970: The 1970 team that won the third of Brazil's record five World Cups is widely considered the best. In terms of value, it's the 1987 Pepsi variant that turns a copy of Top Gun into an expensive collector's item. Pele, who scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games for club and country during his career, ended his playing days at New York Cosmos and retired from football in 1977.Neymar overtakes Pele as Brazil's leading male goalscorer: 'I never imagined reaching this record' ". Pele, who is Brazil's joint all-time top scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches, became an icon of the game after winning the World Cup in 1958 as a 17-year-old, netting twice in the final to defeat hosts Sweden.

The last goal of the game is often considered the greatest team goal of all time because it involved all but two of the team's outfield players.England's 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore commented: "Pelé was the most complete player I've ever seen, he had everything. In June 1977, the Cosmos attracted an NASL record 62,394 fans to Giants Stadium for a 3–0 victory past the Tampa Bay Rowdies with a 37-year-old Pelé scoring a hat-trick.

Led by Carlos Alberto, the team featuring the likes of Jairzinho, Tostao and Rivellino, defeated Italy 4-1 in the final.Since Maradona was winning the Internet poll, however, it was decided he and Pelé should share the award. He made his senior team debut on 7 September 1956 at the age of 15 against Corinthians de Santo André and had an impressive performance in a 7–1 victory, scoring the first goal in his prolific career during the match. note 3] [61] Against France in the semi-final, Brazil was leading 2–1 at halftime, and then Pelé scored a hat-trick, becoming the youngest player in World Cup history to do so.

The press proclaimed Pelé the greatest revelation of the 1958 World Cup, and he was also retroactively given the Silver Ball as the second best player of the tournament, behind Didi. On 21 December 2022, the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, where Pelé was being treated, stated that his tumour had advanced and he required "greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions". His impact was arguably greater off the field, with Barney Ronay writing, "With nothing but talent to guide him, the boy from Minas Gerais became the first black global sporting superstar, and a source of genuine uplift and inspiration. Before Pelé, 10, was just a number'," Neymar, who wears the No 10 for Brazil and also started his career with Santos, wrote in a post on Instagram.Pele dies - live updates: Pele's final message to the world as tributes pour in from sporting royalty". In 1995, Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed Pelé to the position of extraordinary minister for sport. Tributes were paid by current players, including Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, along with other major sporting figures, celebrities, and world leaders. Former Real Madrid and Hungary star Ferenc Puskás stated: "The greatest player in history was Di Stéfano. The public wake would continue to 3 January, [243] [244] and saw more than 230,000 people in attendance.