Legendary Brazilian footballer has passed away aged 82 after a long battle with illness.
The three-time FIFA World Cup winner was diagnosed with colon cancer some time ago and had surgery to remove a tumour in September 2021.
Pele was taken into hospital at the beginning of December, and despite claims from his daughter that there was nothing 'dire' about his situation, the 82-year-old was taken into end of life palliative care on Saturday, December 3rd.
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On December 22nd, it was announced that Pele would be spending Christmas in hospital, with a medical report stating that he needed care related to renal and cardiac dysfunction.
Pele's daughter confirmed her father's passing via Instagram.
Posting a photo of the many hands of the family joined together as one, she said: "Everything we are is thanks to you.
"We love you infinitely.
"Rest in peace."
Pele made scored on his debut for Brazil as a 16-year-old against Argentina in July 1957. To this day, Pele is still the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Brazilian National team.
1958 was the year when Pele emerged as a global star. At just 17-years-of age, he scored two goals in the final as Brazil beat Sweden 5-2 to lift the Jules Rimet trophy for the first time. Pele's record of being the only teenager to score in a World Cup final stood for 60 years, when Kylian Mbappe scored in the 2018 Final as a 19-year-old.
Pele went on to win the World Cup two more times in 1962 and 1970. He is the only player in history to have won the FIFA World Cup on three separate occasions.
During an illustrious career, Pele made a name for himself as one of the most prolific strikers in the history of the game. In total, he scored over a thousand goals combined in competitive and friendly games.
He remains the top scorer in the history of the National team with 77 goals in 92 games. Neymar currently sits on second place on the list with 75 goals to his name.
At club level, he spent 18 seasons with Brazilian club Santos before moving to the New York Cosmos in 1975.
After retiring from football in 1977, Pele went on to have a successful film career and starred in cult classic movie Escape to Victory alongside Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine.
In 2000, Pele was voted World FIFA Player of the Century alongside Argentina legend Diego Maradona.
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