Brazil Icon Pele Dead After Cancer Battle; Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Mourn

Legendary Brazilian football player Pele passed away at the age of 82. He also overcame obstacles in life, much like Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer with whom he shared a close relationship. FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Thursday, Pelé, widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time and one of the world's most popular athletes for decades, passed away in his native Brazil after a battle with colon cancer, at age of 82.

Pelé had been hospitalized for several weeks due to deteriorating health. As his condition worsened, his daughter Kely Nascimento shared the journey with fans via social media. She posted a photo of herself hugging her father in his hospital bed just before Christmas.

Pele Cause of Death

According to reports, Pelé had entered a palliative care unit in a Brazilian hospital and was being treated for cancer and a respiratory infection. His cancer has progressed and he is receiving "intensive care" for kidney and heart problems, Deadline reported.

Messi and Ronaldo pay tribute to the Brazilian legend in an Instagram post following his passing. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Brazil, the Black Pearl led his country to three World Cup titles in 1958, 1962, and 1970, despite being injured for much of the '62 victory. He scored a total of 77 goals in 92 international matches.

Pelé started playing for the Brazilian club Santos at the age of 15, then joined the Brazilian national team at the age of 16. His speed, dexterity, and electrifying style allowed him to score numerous spectacular goals. At one point, his team's world tour made him the highest-paid athlete in the world.

At the club level, he scored 643 goals in 659 games for Santos of Brazil, making him the club's all-time leading scorer. He led Santos to victories in the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores as well as the 1962 and 1963 International Cup.

In 1977, he concluded his career in the United States with the star-studded New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. He later became the team's honorary president and a global ambassador for football.

Pelé amassed numerous accolades along the way. The International Olympic Committee named him Athlete of the Century in 1999, and Time magazine included him on its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

He was also named the International Federation of Football History & Statistics' World Player of the Century. His total of 1279 goals scored in 1363 games (including friendlies) is a Guinness World Record, according to Independent.

Who is Brazilian Icon Pele?

Pele was a three-time World Cup champion, although his 1962 participation was cut short due to injury. In 1966 on these shores, he was effectively eliminated from the competition.

But by that time, he had already established himself as The Greatest, a national treasure who was essentially forbidden to leave Brazil, hence his more than one thousand goals for Santos.
His performance had no flaws. If you had to compare his qualities to those of the modern elite, he would be Ronaldo rather than Messi.

However, he was a pioneer, paving the way for Brazilian and South American footballers. A pioneer for black football players. He became an enduring symbol of how the sport should be played properly. He became an everlasting icon of the beautiful game, as per Mirror.