Former Brazilian soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, ‘Pelé’, considered one of the best in the history of this sport, died this Thursday at the age of 82 after suffering health problems since the end of November, as confirmed by O Globo and Folha de Sao Paulo.
The former striker, three-time world champion with the ‘Canarinha’, had been admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in the city of Sao Paulo since last November 29 and his state of health worsened as the days went by, despite the fact that both he like his family they tried to send reassuring messages.
‘O Rei’, as he was known, had to undergo surgery in October 2021 to have a colon tumor removed and since then he had had to visit his doctors regularly to receive chemotherapy and have more than one admission. in intensive care. In addition, at the beginning of 2022 it was reported that he suffered from metastases.
Pelé was admitted at the end of November and it was his daughter Kely do Nascimento who denied the first news that he had been transferred to palliative care at the center. The former player himself, in his official ‘Instagram’ profile, also assured that his presence at Albert Einstein was due to his “monthly visit”.
The hospital clarified that the admission of ‘Pelé’ was due to a rejection of his chemotherapy treatment and the first medical reports of those days were encouraging for the former Santos FC striker, whose state of health remained “stable” despite having suffered respiratory infections.
“He is sick, he is older, but as soon as he feels better he will go home,” Kely do Nascimento said then, while his sister Flavia reiterated that the Brazilian soccer star was not in palliative care. “It is very unfair that it is said that he is at the end of his life and in palliative care. He is not true friends, believe us,” she said.
Despite everything, the former Brazilian player could not be discharged and on December 21 it was reported that he had suffered a worsening in his state of health after “presenting progression of the oncological disease” and requiring “greater care related to kidney and heart dysfunction “.
THE ONLY TRIPLE WORLD CHAMPION AND IN THE FIGHT OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD
Finally, Pelé could not overcome this delicate situation and passed away this Thursday, leaving football an orphan of one of the greatest myths and legends of him, the only footballer in history who can boast of being champion in three World Cups.
The forward appeared brilliantly on the world scene at a very young age, in 1957, the year of his debut with the ‘Seleçao’ at just 16 years of age. A year later, he was instrumental in leading Brazil to its first world title in Sweden, scoring six goals, two of them in the final against the hosts (5-2).
Four years later, ‘O Rei’ was crowned world champion in Chile again, although then he could barely play due to injury, the same situation he experienced four years later in the event hosted by England and where the ‘Canarinha’ did not pass the qualifying phase. groups. In 1970, in Mexico, his revenge came and he was one of the leaders of one of the most renowned Brazilian teams with Rivelino, Jairzinho or Tostao and who was crowned three-time world champion by beating Italy 4-1, with goals from ‘O rei’.
Pelé signed 77 goals in 92 games for his team, still being the top scorer although he was equaled by Neymar Jr at the recent World Cup in Qatar, while at the club level, the striker spent practically his entire career at Santos in his country, where He was from 1956 to 1974, scoring a record of 643 goals in 659 games and being twice champion of the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup (1962 and 1963), in addition to six league titles.
The Brazilian ended his career playing three seasons for the American New York Cosmos until his retirement in 1977 and, according to his own account and although there is no official official name, he scored 1,283 goals in his career, although the figure would be significantly lower, with 643 with the Saints.
Pelé is considered one of the best players in the history of soccer, a throne in which he rivaled hard and, on many occasions, in a dialectical way, with the Argentine Diego Armando Maradona, with whom he finally managed to soften his relationship to maintain a close relationship. mutual admiration until the death in 2020 of ‘Pelusa’.
