'He turned football into art': World pays tribute to sporting great Pele

Brazilian football great Pele died on Thursday (Dec 29), aged 82, after a long battle with cancer.

The only man to have won the World Cup three times as a player, Pele rose from poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history. 

Tributes poured in from prominent figures all over the world to mourn his death.

Before Pele, "10" was just a number.

I read that phrase somewhere, at some point in my life.

But that phrase, beautiful, is incomplete.

I'd say before Pele, football was just a sport.

Pele changed everything.

He turned football into art, into entertainment.

He gave voice to the poor, to the blacks and especially:

It gave visibility to Brazil.

Football and Brazil have elevated their status thanks to the King!

He's gone, but his magic will remain.

Pele is ETERNAL!!

Rest in peace 'Rei' (King), God bless all his family"

"Pele was much more than the greatest sportsman of all time. The King of Soccer was the ultimate exponent of a victorious Brazil, never afraid of any difficulty. A black, poor boy born in Tres Coracoes, Pele showed us that there is always a new path. He promised his father he would win a World Cup and he won us three, in addition to scoring 95 goals in 113 games with Brazil's national team. The King gave us a new Brazil and we can only thank him for his legacy. Thank you, Pele."

Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: Love.

His message today becomes a legacy for future generations.

Love, love and love, forever.

"One of the greatest footballers in