Pelé, Brazilian soccer star and only player to win the World Cup three times, dies at age 82

Pelé, the Brazilian shot icon who brought the World Cup trophy to his location state 3 times, becoming an planetary superstar and the highest-paid squad jock successful the satellite astatine the time, has died. He was 82.

His girl Kely Nascimento announced his decease Thursday connected Instagram.

Pelé's health had been deteriorating arsenic helium aged. Doctors astatine Albert Einstein Hospital successful São Paulo said successful late December that helium was receiving "elevated care" related to "kidney and cardiac dysfunctions" stemming from the crab helium had been warring for much than a year. He besides had a respiratory infection, and his household said helium would beryllium staying successful the infirmary implicit the Christmas holiday.

He and Argentine prima Diego Maradona, who was younger than Pelé and played aft his retirement, person often been discussed arsenic the top players of each clip — adjacent being jointly named the "player of the century" by FIFA successful 2000. Despite the competition, the 2 struck up a relationship earlier Maradona died successful 2020 aft years of trading jabs.

"I privation to convey Pelé. We cognize who helium is and who helium volition ever be. We request icons similar him," Maradona said astatine a affable accumulation lucifer successful 2016.

Born Edson Arantes bash Nascimento connected Oct. 23, 1940, helium was astir exclusively known arsenic Pelé — a nickname helium supposedly earned astir aft helium mispronounced different footballer's name.

Pelé joined the Santos Football Club successful Brazil successful 1956 astatine property 15 arsenic an wrong forward. The nine won the São Paulo league championships and, successful 1962 and 1963, some the Libertadores Cup and the Intercontinental Club Cup.

The forward, who operated arsenic a 2nd striker, made his planetary debut conscionable a twelvemonth aft joining Santos, successful 1957, and played astatine the World Cup the pursuing twelvemonth astatine property 17 — the youngest subordinate ever. He picked up a chapeau instrumentality successful the semifinal against France and scored 2 goals successful the title crippled against the 1958 tourney host, Sweden.

After bursting onto the satellite signifier and dazzling with his quality to onshore hard shots successful the net, Brazil declared that Pelé was a "national treasure," a determination to forestall him from being scooped up by wealthier European teams. Instead, Santos went connected an planetary circuit to springiness fans a accidental to spot the star.

Pelé tore a musculus astatine the adjacent World Cup tourney successful 1962 and had to beryllium retired aft the 2nd match, but the Brazilian nationalist squad prevailed and picked up back-to-back titles. Brazil mislaid successful the archetypal circular astatine the adjacent World Cup, successful 1966, aft Pelé and others suffered injuries.

He considered retiring from planetary play, but made a triumphant instrumentality successful 1970 to triumph it each erstwhile again. Pelé closed retired his World Cup vocation netting 12 goals successful 14 games and remains the lone shot subordinate to triumph the trophy 3 times.

Pelé retired from Santos successful 1974 aft scoring a mind-boggling 643 goals successful 659 games.

He was coaxed retired of status a twelvemonth aboriginal to articulation his second-ever team, the New York Cosmos. At 34, helium signed a three-year $7 cardinal woody to play for the U.S. team, which The New York Times reported astatine the clip made him the highest-paid squad athlete successful the world. He ended up playing for the Cosmos for 2 years, helping them triumph the North American Soccer League trophy, and helium was wide credited with expanding popularity successful the athletics successful the United States.

His last-ever game was an accumulation lucifer betwixt Santos and the Cosmos. He played the archetypal fractional with the Cosmos and the 2nd fractional with his beloved Santos. When the clip expired, his teammates lifted the affectional Pelé onto their shoulders and paraded him astir the field.

"In elemental terms, Pele made shot cool," Shep Messing, a goalkeeper for the Cosmos, told ESPN 40 years aft that past game. "Mick Jagger, Elton John, Robert Redford astatine the games. Muhammad Ali, helium was determination connected the tract for that last game, and astatine that time, the 2 astir recognizable radical connected the satellite were the 2 of them."

Pelé scored much than 1,000 goals successful the people of his career, earning a Guinness World Record.

He utilized his level aft shot to enactment charitable works and effort to amended the lives of Brazil's poor. He became a UNESCO planetary ambassador successful 1994 and served arsenic a curate for athletics successful Brazil. He besides published respective autobiographies that went connected to go best-sellers and starred successful documentary films astir his life.

FIFA named him the "greatest of each time" successful 2012 and the International Olympic Committee named him the "athlete of the century" successful 1999.