Pele Dies After Long Battle With Cancer At The Age of 82
At age 82, Pele, the legendary Brazilian footballer and a three-time winner of the World Cup, passed away. Pele, universally regarded as the greatest football player of all time, underwent treatment for colon cancer after surgery to remove a tumour in September 2021.
On his return to the hospital at the end of November to reevaluate his cancer treatment, he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection before moving to palliative care when he became unresponsive to chemotherapy.
A Brazilian by birth, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was Pele’s given name. He made his international introduction at the tender age of 16 and achieved international recognition at age 17 when he scored six goals in four matches as Brazil became world champions.
His two goals, which came in a 5-2 victory over Sweden in the final, contributed to the victory. In the years that followed, he would become one of the most influential figures in the game’s history by dominating the World Cup and winning two more world titles.
During a glittering career from 1957 to 1977, Pele scored 757 goals in 831 games based on official records, even though his long-time club Santos claims he scored 1,000 goals.
Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo was where the football legend took his last breath, by the side of his wife, Marcia Aoki, who stayed by his bedside during the final moments of his life. His daughter, Kely Nascimento, shared the news on Instagram, captioning: “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Watch Skysports’ report on Pele’s passing below:
