Pele, the Brazil legend widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history, has died at the age of 82.
The three-time World Cup winner was diagnosed with colon cancer in September 2021 and admitted to the Albert Einstein hospital in Morumbi, Sao Paulo, on 29 November this year for treatment after the cancer had advanced. Pele was also receiving treatment for a respiratory infection in hospital.
Pele had been in and out of hospital after the diagnosis. He had a tumour removed from his colon in September 2021 and in February of this year for further treatment which was complicated by a urinary tract infection.
His agent Joe Fraga confirmed his death on Thursday evening.
Pele announced himself on the world stage as a 17-year-old, playing a pivotal role as Brazil won their first World Cup in 1958 with a 5-2 victory over Sweden in the final. Pele scored twice in that game and six times overall; he remains the youngest player to score in a World Cup final and the youngest to record a hat-trick in the competition’s history.
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By the time the next World Cup in Chile came around in 1962, Pele was regarded as the best player in the world and although injury restricted him to just one appearance, he earned a second winners’ medal after his team-mates beat Czechoslovakia in the final.
Pele completed a hat-trick of World Cup triumphs in 1970, scoring the opener in the final against Italy before providing the assist for Carlos Alberto’s memorable strike that made it 4-1. That Brazil team containing Pele, Alberto, Jairzinho and Rivelino, amongst others, is regarded as one of the greatest international teams in history.
No other player in history has won three World Cups, while Pele is Brazil’s joint-leading goalscorer of all-time on 77 goals, level with Neymar who caught up during the quarter-final defeat against Croatia in Qatar this month.
That topic has been the source of some debate, however, as both Pele and Brazil’s football confederation claim that his actual total from international matches is 95. During the 1960s and 1970s, Brazil played against club teams as well as national teams which is where the additional 18 goals come from; Fifa does not recognise such fixtures, hence the discrepancy.
Pele’s trophies and records from a remarkable career
Stats
- Santos (1956-1974): 659 appearances, 643 goals
- New York Cosmos: 107 appearances, 66 goals
- Brazil: 92 appearances, 77 goals
Team honours:
Brazil
- World Cup (3): 1958, 1962, 1970
Santos:
- Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (6): 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
- Copa Libertadores (2): 1962, 1963
- Intercontinental Cup (2): 1962, 1963
- Campeonato Paulista (10): 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973
New York Cosmos:
- North American Soccer League, Soccer Bowl: 1977
- North American Soccer League, Atlantic Conference Championship: 1977
Individual honours (selected):
- Ballon d’Or (7): 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970
- Fifa Player of the Century (shared with Diego Maradona)
- World Cup Golden Ball: 1970
- World Cup Silver Ball: 1962
- World Cup Best Young Player: 1958
Records (selected):
- Brazil’s all-time top scorer: 77 goals in 92 caps
- Santos’ all-time top scorer: 643 goals in 659 games
- Most goals in a calendar year: 127 (in 1959)
- Most World Cup medals (3): 1958, 1962, 1970
- Youngest goalscorer in a World Cup Final: Aged 17y 249d vs Sweden (1958)
- Youngest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup: 17y and 244d vs France (1958)
Unlike in the modern game where Brazil’s biggest stars exclusively play club football in Europe, Pele spent virtually his entire career with Santos on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, becoming the club’s greatest-ever player in the process. His record of 643 goals in only 659 games is a club record, while he also enjoyed significant collective success too, winning two Copa Libertadores titles and a host of national trophies.
After a brief spell in semi-retirement, Pele signed for New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League in 1975 where he played for two years before hanging up his boots for good. In 2000 he was named Fifa’s Player of the Century alongside Argentina great Diego Maradona.
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