December 29, 2022 was the day of mourning, not just for Brazil, but for whole footballing world as they lost one of the greatest ever football players in Pele to colon cancer. This year's December 29 marked the death anniversary of the three-time World Cup winner as Brazil paid tribute to their iconic legend who blossomed from the day he stepped on the pitch. They paid tribute in the city of Rio Di Janeiro where they projected the iconic Brazil shirt with Pele’s name and number 10 on the statue of Christ Redeemer, that carried a personalised message from Pope Francis praising Pele’s sportsmanship.
Alongside this, several other tributes took place at the Museu Pelé in Santos and in Tres Coraçµes, Pele’s birthplace. Santos FC is the club Pele started his career at and the club remembered their legend as they hosted a tribute at the Vila Belmiro Stadium, releasing 10 white balloons from the centre circle in honour of Pele.
Pele's Legacy In A Nutshell
Pele passed away at the age of 82, leaving behind a legacy that will always be immortal in the books of football as his antics with the Dream Team of Brazil from 1958-1970 made Brazil the true powerhouse of football and the Samba nation has never looked back ever since. Pele notched up 1289 goals in 1363 matches. However, these figures were never officially registered in the record books of FIFA as they never had any conclusive evidence regarding the same. Pele never won the Ballon d'Or because during his time as a professional footballer, Ballon d'Or was awarded to European nationality footballers. Pele was 17 when he scored as a teenager in a World Cup final, a record that stood for 60 years until a 'certain French speedster' by the name of Kylian Mbappe scored for France against Croatia in the World Cup Final of 2018, aged 19, to become the only player alongside Pele to score as a teenager in a World Cup Final.