Lionel Messi Ednaldo Rodrigues Pele Brazil Argentina Ireland Sao Paulo soccer Sport Lionel Messi Ednaldo Rodrigues Pele Brazil Argentina Ireland Sao Paulo

'Before Pele, 10 was just a number' - tributes flow to late football legend

rte.ie

The footballing world has paid tribute to Pele following the death of the Brazil great at the age of 82.The three-time World Cup winner died on Thursday having been in hospital in Sao Paulo since late November.Following confirmation of his death, tributes poured in for the player widely regarded as the best to have graced the game.Pele was a prodigious scorer of goals, and is credited with 1,281 of them across the length of his career by the official FIFA website.A tweet from the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) read simply "King Pele", accompanied by three crown emojis.Brazil forward Neymar – who moved level with Pele's record of 77 international goals during the 2022 World Cup – posted his own emotional tribute on Instagram."Before Pele, 10 was just a number.

I’ve read this phrase somewhere, at some point in my life. But this sentence, beautiful, is incomplete. I would say before Pele football was just a sport.

Pele has changed it all," Neymar said."He turned football into art, into entertainment He gave voice to the poor, to the blacks and especially: He gave visibility to Brazil.

Soccer and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He’s gone but his magic remains. Pele is FOREVER!!"The president of the federation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, said in a statement: "The CBF will pay all possible tributes to the greatest athlete of all time.

Related News
BOGOTA: Colombia is the first Latin American country to meet FIFA president Gianni Infantino's request to name a stadium after Pele.
The coffin of the late Brazilian football star Pele is transported to the Santos’ Memorial Cemetery after the funeral procession in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on January 3, 2023. – Brazilian football legend Pele’s remains arrived Tuesday at the cemetery where he will be interred in a mausoleum, after three days of national mourning, a 24-hour wake and a massive funeral procession. Pele’s casket, draped in the Brazilian flag and that of his longtime club, Santos FC, arrived atop a red firetruck at the Santos Memorial Cemetery, near the stadium where “The King” began his rise to become what many consider the greatest footballer of all time. (Photo by CAIO GUATELLI / AFP)
Infantino was in the city of Santos, Brazil, to pay his final respects to the player widely considered the greatest of all time, who died Thursday at the age of 82.
Mourners wear jerseys with an image of Brazilian football legend Pele as they queue to get in the Urbano Caldeira stadium, also known as Vila Belmiro, where a wake in his honour is being held, in Santos, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, on January 2, 2023. – Brazilians bid a final farewell this week to football giant Pele, starting Monday with a 24-hour public wake at the stadium of his long-time team, Santos. (Photo by CARL DE SOUZA / AFP)
An emotional Brazil began paying its final respects Monday to football legend Pele with a wake at the stadium where he first took the world's breath away with his dazzling skill.

Latest News

Change privacy settings
This page might use cookies if your analytics vendor requires them.