Pele, the Brazilian king of football who won a record three World Cups, is no more.
The legendary football player breathed his last at the age of 82 at 3:27pm (18:27 GMT) on Thursday at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital.
He became one of the most commanding sports figures of the past century and rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history.
The death of the only man to win the World Cup three times as a player was confirmed on his Instagram account.
He died due to multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous medical condition.
Pele, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was remembered for his wide-ranging accomplishments, both on and off the football field.
The standard-bearer of ‘the beautiful game’ had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. He had been hospitalised for the past month with multiple ailments.
Later on Thursday, it was announced that Pele’s funeral would be held on Monday and Tuesday at Santos' Vila Belmiro Stadium outside Sao Paulo, where the soccer legend played some of his best games.
