Legendary Brazilian footballer Pele has died aged 82.
The three-time World Cup winner, regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, had been at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo since 29 November.
He had been treated for colon cancer and required regular medical treatment after a tumor was removed in September 2021.

“Football is the beautiful game,” Pele once proclaimed in an attempt to encapsulate the universal appeal of his lifelong passion. And no man did more to justify that simple but compellingly eloquent description than the tremendous Brazilian himself.

For over half a century since his galvanizing displays in the 1958 World Cup finals, the name of the one-time street urchin who exchanged childhood poverty for global fame has been a byword for ultimate sporting excellence.

Pele was that hitherto mythical being, the complete player; he was a sublime performer without any perceivable flaw, an unsurpassable fusion of artistry and athleticism, audacity and grace.
A natural right-footer, he honed his left-foot skills to match, and his timing in the air was peerless. He was an uninhibited passer, capable of driving, floating, curling, or spinning the ball with astonishing accuracy; he finished lethally, from virtually any angle or distance.
As if all that was not enough, it was topped by intelligence, imagination, and, perhaps the most destructive of all his myriad assets, an instinctive capacity for the unexpected. Pele had the knack of bamboozling defenders with a sudden shot, dribble, pass, or off-the-ball run; one minute he might take possession in an apparently non-menacing position, and the next he would deposit it impudently into the opposition’s net.
He was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in the small, shabby township of Tres Coracoes, moving to a ramshackle street in Bauru in the state of Sao Paulo.
On June 10, 1975, the New York Cosmos announced Pele was joining the club. Widely considered the greatest soccer player of all time, he led Brazil to three World Cup titles -- the first in 1958 when he was 17-years-old -- and for Brazilian club Santos, he scored 1,091 goals, leading them to 21 titles.
The forward was 34 years old and had not played soccer competitively for eight months when he joined the Cosmos. He scored 37 goals and registered 30 assists in three years, winning the 1976 NASL MVP and leading the team to the 1977 Soccer Bowl title.

With the Brazilian’s arrival, Cosmos really attracted the big crowds that their fellow major leagues did. They missed out on the playoffs that year but Pelé and the team were on the road to becoming the brand Steve Ross and Warner wanted them to be. More than 20,000 people turned out to see the Brazilian in street clothes at one game as he was injured. His presence alone shattered attendance records in Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington DC.

The sport’s presence was increasing. Pelé and the Cosmos met President Gerald Ford for a kickabout and were covered regularly on the front and back pages of the New York and national press. The Cosmos’ average attendance during the mid to late-1970s was over 40,000 and they truly were the league’s marquee club thanks to the Brazilan.

1956–1974 Santos (Offical)
636 Appearances
618 Goals
1975–1977 New York Cosmos(Offical)
64 Appearances
37 Goals
Total 700 Appearances
655 Goals
International career
1957–1971 Brazil
92 Appearances
77 Goals

Honours
Santos
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
Copa Libertadores: 1962, 1963
Intercontinental Cup: 1962, 1963
Intercontinental Supercup: 1968
Campeonato Paulista: 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973
Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1959, 1963, 1964, 1966

New York Cosmos
North American Soccer League, Soccer Bowl: 1977
North American Soccer League, Atlantic Conference Championship: 1977

Brazil
FIFA World Cup: 1958, 1962, 1970
Taça do Atlântico: 1960
Roca Cup: 1957, 1963
Taça Oswaldo Cruz: 1958, 1962, 1968
Copa Bernardo O'Higgins: 1959

Individual Awards:
In December 2000, Pelé and Maradona shared the prize of FIFA Player of the Century by FIFA. The award was originally intended to be based upon votes in a web poll, but after it became apparent that it favored Diego Maradona, many observers complained that the Internet nature of the poll would have meant a skewed demographic of younger fans who would have seen Maradona play, but not Pelé. FIFA then appointed a "Family of Football" committee of FIFA members to decide the winner of the award together with the votes of the readers of the FIFA magazine. The committee chose Pelé. Since Maradona was winning the Internet poll, however, it was decided he and Pelé should share the award.

Not enough can be written about the great man but it comes down to the simple fact he was the best.
RIP Edson Arantes do Nascimento "Pele"