Pele dies: 'Edson stopped a war and spread love' – tributes pour in for Brazil great

By Sports Desk December 29, 2022

Pele has been hailed for his work on and off the field following his death at the age of 82.

The Brazil great's passing was confirmed by his family on Thursday following a period in hospital, where he was moved to palliative care early in December.

Widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, Pele remains the only player to have won the World Cup three times in a legendary career spanning 21 years.

Pele's death led to widespread tributes on social media, not least on his own official accounts.

A message posted on the former Santos and New York Cosmos forward's Instagram account, thought to be run by close family members, read: "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele,

"On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love."

Pele, full name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, finished his playing career with New York Cosmos in 1977 and later lent his name and influence to many charitable initiatives.

His daughter Kely Nascimento had earlier paid her own heartfelt tribute in a message accompanied by a photo of her and other family members holding Pele's hands.

"Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace," she wrote.

Related items

  • Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Darmstadt: Reus stars in farewell game Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Darmstadt: Reus stars in farewell game

    Marco Reus scored and assisted in his final Bundesliga game for Borussia Dortmund as they thrashed already-relegated Darmstadt 4-0. 

    The German teed up Ian Maatsen for the opener on the half-hour mark before scoring a stunning free-kick eight minutes later to put Dortmund in control.

    Donyell Malen scored his 13th goal of the season to round things off after substitute Julian Brandt had latched onto Jadon Sancho's ball for a third.

    Dortmund could have had more as Reus, Malen and Marcel Sabitzer struck the woodwork in either half, but it did not matter as Darmstadt struggled to show a threat.

    Edin Terzic's side finished fifth in the final Champions League spot, while Darmstadt are relegated as the bottom club. 

    Data Debrief:

    Reus has been directly involved in 251 goals in the Bundesliga (156G 95A in 391 games), making him just the third player to reach 250 goals and assists since his Bundesliga debut in August 2009, behind Thomas Müller 318 and Robert Lewandowski 367.

    The German bids farewell to Signal Iduna Park having scored nine goals and assisting seven in all competitions this season, though he will be hoping to add to that tally in his final match for Dortmund - the Champions League final against Real Madrid on June 1.

  • Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty

    Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.

    Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.

    Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.

    Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.

    The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.

    Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.

    Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider

    Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.

    That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.

  • Brazil to host 2027 Women's World Cup Brazil to host 2027 Women's World Cup

    Brazil have seen off competition from a joint bid by Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany to earn the right to host the 2027 Women's World Cup.

    The United States and Mexico were thought to be favourites to host the next edition of FIFA's showpiece women's football tournament, but they withdrew their bid in April.

    They signalled their intention to focus on a bid for the 2031 tournament, while a South African bid for the 2027 event was also withdrawn last November.

    That left Brazil and the joint European bid as the only contenders, and on Friday, it was confirmed the 2027 tournament will be the first to be held in South America.

    "Congratulations to Brazil," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

    "We will have the best World Cup in Brazil. Many thanks as well to the BNG bid, who have been fantastic."

    The decision was made at FIFA's annual congress in Bangkok, becoming the first Women's World Cup to be awarded via an open vote of member nations.

    Brazil – the host nation for two men's World Cups in 1950 and 2014 – garnered 119 votes to their rivals' 78. 

    Brazil had launched a bid to hold the 2023 tournament, only to withdraw it due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Australia and New Zealand ultimately co-hosted, with Spain beating England in the final for their first world crown.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.