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Pele has been hailed as an inspirational and ground breaking figure by the world’s current crop of superstars following his death in Brazil.
Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital, where Pele was undergoing treatment, said he died at 3:27 pm on Thursday “due to multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous medical condition.”
While Pele’s death caused sorrow in the football community, it also brought waves of praise for his talents. Although the current stars would have never seen him play – except for on video footage – he was a momentus figure in the sport.
How leading footballers have reacted to the death of Pele at age 82.
Brazil forward Neymar
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.
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Brazil captain Thiago Silva, on Instagram
Rest in peace ‘Rei’, God bless all his family”
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Argentina’s World Cup winner Lionel Messi posted a picture on Instagram of him with Pele with the message: “Rest in peace, @pele.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo posted a picture of him receiving an award from Pele and wrote: “My deepest condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular to the family of Mr. Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
“A mere “goodbye” to the eternal King Pele will never be enough to express the pain that currently embraces the entire world of football.
“An inspiration for so many millions, a reference from yesterday, today, forever. The affection he always showed for me was reciprocal in every moment we shared, even from a distance.
“He will never be forgotten and his memory will live on forever in each of us football lovers. Rest in peace, King Pele.”
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“The king of football has left us, but his legacy will never be forgotten,” French star Kylian Mbappe said on Twitter, posting a black and white photo of himself together with Pelé.
Manchester City forward Erling Haaland – who on Wednesday night became the quickest player to 20 Premier League goals with his brace against Leeds – paid tribute to the Brazil great.
“Everything you see any player doing, Pele did it first,” the 22-year-old said on Twitter.
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Former Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer played alongside Pele for the Cosmos and paid tribute to his former team-mate.
“Today, football lost the greatest man in its history – and I lost a unique friend,” Beckenbauer said on the Bayern Munich website.
“Born in Tres Coracoes, Pele had three hearts: for football, for his family and for all people. Someone who played with the stars and always stayed down to earth.
“I went to the US in 1977 because I really wanted to play on a team with Pele at New York Cosmos. This time at his side was one of the greatest experiences of my career.
“We became US champions together right away, and Pele then just called me his brother. It was an unimaginable honour for me. Football will always belong to you! you will always remain Thank you for your game, O Rei!”
Pele moved footballers and statesmen through the generations.
Here are some of the superlatives about him during his life.
“To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full.” — Nelson Mandela.
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“I told myself before the game, he’s made of skin and bones just like everyone else – but I was wrong.” — Italy’s Tarcisio Burgnich, after playing against Pele in the 1970 World Cup final.
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“Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory: Instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will have 15 centuries.” — Andy Warhol.
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“I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player.” — Sir Bobby Charlton, retired England great who won 1966 World Cup and Ballon d’Or in same year.
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“Pelé was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.” — Johan Cruyff, the late Dutch star and standout manager who won the Ballon d’Or three times.
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“He is the most complete player I ever saw.” — Retired German great Franz Beckenbauer.
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“If you take the qualities of Cristiano Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi, put them together, then you’d have a player to compare to Pelé!” — Retired Brazil forward Tostao.
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“The best player ever? Pelé. (Lionel) Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pelé was better.” — Alfredo Di Stefano, the late Argentine star for Real Madrid.
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“His great secret was improvisation. Those things he did were in one moment. He had an extraordinary perception of the game.” — Brazil defender Carlos Alberto Torres.
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“This debate about the player of the century is absurd. There’s only one possible answer: Pelé. He’s the greatest player of all time, and by some distance, I might add.” — Retired Brazil star Zico.
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“The greatest player in history was Di Stefano. I refuse to classify Pelé as a player. He was above that.” — Hungary star Ferenc Puskas.
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“We went up together to head a ball. I was taller, had a better impulse. When I came back down, I looked up in astonishment. Pelé was still there, in the air, heading that ball. It was like he could stay suspended for as long as he wanted to.” — Italy defender Giacinto Facchetti.
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“When I saw Pelé play, it made me feel I should hang up my boots.” — Just Fontaine, the Morocco-born French star who scored 13 goals in six games in the 1958 World Cup.
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“The moment the ball arrived at Pelé’s feet, football transformed into poetry.” — Italian poet Pier Paolo Pasolini.
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“The difficulty, the extraordinary, is not to score 1000 goals like Pelé – it’s to score one goal like Pelé.” — Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Brazilian poet.
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“Pelé was the most complete player I’ve ever seen. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Quick. Powerful. Could beat people with skill. Could outrun people. Only 5-feet-8 inches tall, yet he seemed a giant of an athlete on the pitch. Perfect balance and impossible vision.” — Bobby Moore, captain of the 1966 World Cup champion team from England.
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“I arrived hoping to stop a great man, but I went away convinced I had been undone by someone who was not born on the same planet as the rest of us.” — Benfica goalkeeper Costa Pereira after 5-2 loss to Santos.
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“There’s Pelé the man, and then Pelé the player. And to play like Pelé is to play like God.” — Retired France star and three-time Ballon d’Or winner Michel Platini.
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“Pelé is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pelé in the world.” — Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal star forward.
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