Brazil Set To Observe Three Days of National Mourning For Pele

Pele, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 82, is set to be honored with three days of national mourning by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The ruling was published in an additional issue of the official gazette and signed by the departing president, who will step down from office on Sunday.

Over the course of a 21-year career, Pele is credited with scoring a world-record 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, including 77 goals in 92 international matches.

Pele was selected as Fifa’s Player of the Century in 2000. As a matter of fact, Pele is the only player to have won the World Cup three times, taking home the trophy in 1958, 1962, and 1970.

In September 2021, the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo performed surgery to remove a colon tumor that had been found during normal examinations.

In the final days of November 2022, he was readmitted to the hospital.

Kely Nascimento, his daughter, often posted updates on social media from the hospital to inform her followers of her father’s status.

“Everything we are is owed to you, You have our undying love. Peace be with you.” she tweeted beside a photo of what appeared to be Pele’s family holding his body in the hospital on Thursday.

The Rise of Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, rose to fame when, at the age of 17, he assisted Brazil in winning the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

By the knockout rounds, he had forced his way into the starting lineup.

He scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Wales in the quarterfinals, three goals in a comeback victory over France in the semifinals, and two goals in a 5-2 victory over the hosts in the championship game.

At the age of 15, Pele made his club debut for Santos, scoring in a 7-1 victory over Corinthians de Santo André.

It was the first of 643 goals he would score for the club in official tournaments over the course of 19 years, while Santos claims the number is actually higher than 1,000 when exhibition matches are included, many of which were against illustrious European opposition.

Pele, then 21 years old, opened his team’s 1962 World Cup campaign with a magnificent individual goal in a 2-0 victory over Mexico, but he suffered an injury in the following game and had to watch as his team successfully defended their championship from the sidelines.

His most famous World Cup victory was the third of a trilogy.

He was the focal point of an exciting attacking team that swept to the title in 1970 after being sent off in the 1966 tournament in England.

Pele’s magical moments have transcended eras and defined the history of the sport, from his tears of joy on teammate Nilton Santos’ chest to his embrace with England captain Bobby Moore.

He concluded his club career playing for the New York Cosmos alongside legendary German player Franz Beckenbauer and fellow 1970 World Cup champion Carlos Alberto in a star-studded squad.

“In music, there is Beethoven and the rest. In football, there is Pele and the rest,” he iterated in 2000.

Meanwhile, Pele won the title of the greatest player in a BBC Sport poll in 2020, beating out Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff.

Conclusion

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