Legendary football player dies aged 82 after losing battle with cancer

Legendary football player Pele has passed away at the age of 82. He was suffering from cancer for a long time. His death was confirmed by his daughter on Instagram. Pele made his country Brazil the world champion three times. Announcing his death on Instagram, Pele’s daughter Kelly Nascimento wrote, ‘We are who we are because of you. We love you so much. Rest in peace.

Considered one of soccer’s greatest ever players, Pele spent nearly two decades mesmerizing fans and rivals as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazilian national team.

Brazil won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970 under Pele. He played a total of 4 World Cups. Three of them won. He is the only player to win three World Cups. He retired from the Brazil national team in 1971. Pelé played a total of 1363 matches and scored 1281 goals in his professional career. He has scored 77 goals in 91 matches for Brazil.

Paley had been battling cancer for some time and recently, during a hospital stay to regulate his cancer medication, his health deteriorated, doctors announced earlier this week.

Pele took Brazil to the heights of soccer

Pele took Brazil to the heights of soccer and became a global ambassador for the game in a journey that began on the streets of the state of São Paulo.

In conversations about soccer greats, the late Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are mentioned alongside Pele.

Pell learned the game of football from his father. During his final years he was often seen in a wheelchair and did not attend the unveiling ceremony of his statue representing Brazil’s 1970 World Cup team. Paley spent his 80th birthday in seclusion at a beach home with a few family members.

Born on October 23, 1940, in the small Minas Gerais town of Tres Corases, or “Three Hearts,” Edson Arantes do Nascimento learned the game from his father, a semi-professional player whose promising career was derailed by a knee injury.