“For anyone who loves the beautiful game, this is the day we never wanted to see happen. The day we lost Pelé. “O Rei” was unique in many ways. He was the only player to have won the FIFA World Cup three times and his talent and imagination were second to none. Pelé did things no other player would even dream of, like the famous fake in the 1970 FIFA World Cup semi-final, known as “Pele’s run”. Or the goal he scored in the 1958 FIFA World Cup final, aged 17, tossing the ball over a defender and volleying it into the net. Seeing him hit the air in celebration is one of the most iconic images in our sport and an integral part of our history. In fact, as TV football was still in its infancy at the time, we only saw small glimpses of what it was capable of.
Most importantly, “The King” ascended the throne with a smile on his face. Football could be brutal back then, and Pelé was often roughed up. But, if he knew how to defend himself, he was always an exemplary sportsman, with real respect for his opponents.
Pelé had a magnetic presence and when you were with him the rest of the world stopped. His life is not just about football. He changed perceptions for the better in Brazil, South America and around the world,” reads the FIFA President’s statement.