One Of The Greatest Soccer Players Of All Time Dies At 82
In 1950, when Edson Arantes do Nascimento was just a boy, he saw his father, Dondinho, cry for the very first time. Dondinho was a soccer player in Brazil, and he didn’t believe that men should cry; however, when Brazil lost the World Cup during their very first time ever competing in the competition, he couldn’t hold back the tears.
That’s when Edson made his father a promise. He promised to win a World Cup as a “gift” for his father. He held true to his promise. In 1958, at the age of 17, he helped Brazil win the World Cup.
When Edson was a boy first learning the game of soccer, the other kids gave him the nickname Pelé. He didn’t like the name at first, but it stuck, and it became the name he was known by during his legendary soccer career.
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Pelé helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1958 and 1962 and again in 1970. In a 2021 documentary, Pelé said, “The 1970 World Cup was the best moment of my life, but I think it was more important for the nation because if Brazil had lost in Mexico, things would have gotten a lot worse. Brazil’s victory gave the whole country a moment to breathe. The 1970 World Cup was for the nation, not for the sport.”
In 1975, Pelé signed with the New York Cosmos. His contract was for three years, and he helped popularize the sport in the United States.
Pelé officially retired in 1977. He played a total of 1,367 games and scored 1,283 goals during his career.
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Over the past few years, Pelé’s health has declined. He battled cancer, and according to a statement from the hospital, he also suffered from “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.” Earlier today, December 29, 2022, Pelé passed away in his hospital bed at a Sao Paulo hospital. The sad news was announced on Pelé’s Instagram account.
Alongside a picture of Pelé, the caption reads, “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love.”
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