13
“Rest in peace, Pelé”, simply reacted the Argentinian on Instagram. To accompany this message, three photos: two shots of their time spent together in 2012, when the Brazilian presented the Argentinian with his fourth consecutive Golden Ball, the one which already made him the absolute record holder of the reward, and a another photo, legendary this one, of Pelé celebrating in the arms of Jairzinho during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
A few days ago, as Messi lifted the World Cup after a lifelong quest, the Brazilian, the only player to win three, congratulated him via social media. “Diego is certainly smiling at the moment”, he had punctuated, in tribute to the Argentine legend Diego Maradona, who died in 2020.