RIP Pelé

[candrew]

Pele, a generational talent worthy of GOAT status has sadly passed away.

https://news.yahoo.com/pel-brazil-m...WgZVHoYlOK7y9gcwbFmSQhCBUR1SdiMbZd8sx-olRM4WG

The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. The medical center where he had been hospitalized for the last month said he died of multiple organ failure as a result of the cancer.

He carried Brazil to soccer’s heights and became a global ambassador for his sport in a journey that began on the streets of Sao Paulo state, where he would kick a sock stuffed with newspapers or rags.

Different sources, counting different sets of games, list Pelé’s goal totals anywhere between 650 (league matches) and 1,281 (all senior matches, some against low-level competition.)

Pelé’s life after soccer took many forms. He was a politician -- Brazil’s Extraordinary Minister for Sport -- a wealthy businessman, and an ambassador for UNESCO and the United Nations.

 

[W2R]

It surprised me to read that he was 82. Somehow, I thought he would never age like the rest of us!

 

[braumeister]

Certainly a mind-boggling talent, once in a century. And truly beloved, both in his country and by fans around the world.

He may well have been the originator of the phrase "the beautiful game", and he certainly popularized it.

 

[easysurfer]

RIP. He was the GOAT before the term became common.

 

[MichaelB]

Sad news indeed. He was not only a great player, he inspired millions and led the way for Brazil to be a football superpower.

 

[braumeister]

What got me initially was seeing him score with that incredible upside down bicycle kick. In my mind it still defies all logic that someone could do that, and do it more than once, but he made it look so natural.

 

[jollystomper]

My intro to soccer was the "intro" clip to ABC's Wide World of Sports, which featured Pele scoring and leaping into a teammates arms. I believe that was a World Cup goal vs. Italy. In my youth and teams, I could not name another soccer player besides him.

I then remember him trying to popularize soccer in the U.S. with the NY Cosmos.

In terms of world-wide love for an athlete, he was probably only rivaled by Muhammad Ali.

RIP.