At the end of the year, world football mourns. The one and only “king”, oh Pele, this time it didn’t work out dribbling like in the courts. At the age of 82, he lost the battle, scattering in grief all the lovers of the round goddess, just a few days after his feast. world Cup.

The struggle is difficult and unequal due to the terminal illness of the symbolic player, who has been in the hospital for the last month at the Albert Einstein Clinic in São Paulo.

The Brazilian “magician” of the ball was diagnosed with a tumor in the colon in September 2021, he underwent surgery to remove it and began chemotherapy on the 30th of the same month. On November 30, 2022, he was admitted to the hospital with a respiratory infection and also for palliative care as chemotherapy failed to respond.

His family has been by his side throughout the last period, receiving good wishes from all over the football world.

He won three World Cups with the Brazilian national team (1958, 1962, 1970) and created the legend of the selesao.

Born October 23, 1940 in Tres Coracoens, Enjon Arantes Don Nacismento, as his full name was, contracted a ball bug from his father, who played for Atlético Mineiro. In 1956, after a series of rejections, he was accepted by Santos, starting his great career from there. Shortly before he turned 17, he was called up to the national team, scoring on his debut against Argentina, and until he came of age he was in the Selesan team at the World Cup in Sweden.

His record of 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches has not been surpassed to this day, and he will also go down in history as a footballer who won the World Cup three times (1958, 1962 and 1970) (1958, 1962 and 1970). actually only 17 years old.

At the collegiate level, he played from 1956 to 1975 on the Santos men’s team, and in the last two years of his career he played in America on behalf of the New York Cosmos. In his trophy business, in addition to three World Cups, he has six Brazilian championships, two Copa Libertadores, the same number of intercontinental championships and the American championship.

For the vast majority, Pele’s score in official games stopped at 757 goals, of which he scored 643 for Santos in his 19 years in office, but … opinions differ on this matter.