SAO PAULO/SOCORRO, Brazil : Some of Brazilian soccer legend Pele's former team mates on Friday remembered him as the greatest player of all time, as they mourned his death and celebrated his legacy.
Gerson and Pepe, who played with Pele in World Cup-winning Brazil sides, described the only man to win three World Cup trophies as a player from another planet, who was also a great guy off the pitch.Pele, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died on Thursday at 3:27 p.m.
local time (18:27 GMT) due to multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer, according to Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital.
He was 82.Brazil has declared three days of mourning to lament his passing, with global leaders, fans and friends paying their respects to the sports icon.Gerson, who won the 1970 World Cup with Brazil alongside Pele, told Reuters in an interview from his home in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, that playing with him "was knowing that victory would come."He was the best, the king of soccer.