Richard Anyebe
Brazil football legend, Pele is dead.
Pele, who was a three-time World Cup winner died on Thursday aged 82 at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.
Pele Cause of Death
The football star had been treated for colon cancer, following surgery to remove a tumour in September 2021, and had required regular medical treatment.
After being admitted back into the hospital at the end of November to re-evaluate his cancer treatment, he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection before subsequently being moved to palliative care when his body became unresponsive to chemotherapy.
The news of his death was confirmed by his daughter, Kely Nascimento on Instagram.
She wrote: “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Pele made his international debut at the age of 16 and announced himself to a global audience in 1958, when, still only 17, he scored six goals in four games as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time. He scored twice in a 5-2 final win over Sweden in Stockholm.
He would win the World Cup on two more occasions, in 1962 and 1970, when the Selecao produced arguably the greatest final performance in the competition’s history, defeating Italy 4-1 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico. Pele won the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player.
Reports say during the tournament, ex-Manchester City boss Malcolm Allison, working as a TV summariser, asked, “How do you spell Pele?” Counterpart Pat Crerand responded, “Easy: G.O.D.”
His 1970 teammate Tostao remarked, “Pele was the greatest – he was simply flawless. And off the pitch, he is always smiling and upbeat. You never see him bad-tempered. He loves being Pele.” Sir Bobby Charlton, part of the England side beaten 1-0 in the group stage of that tournament by Brazil, remarked later in life, “I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player.”
Pele scored 757 goals in 831 games during a glittering career from 1957 to 1977, although his long-time club Santos claims his tally was closer to 1,000.
In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that the Ogun State Police Command arrested four suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Boys” for abducting their colleague over sharing of proceeds of their fraud business.
The four suspects were arrested on Monday, 26th December 2022.
