Pele passes away: Messi, Ronaldo, Obama, Macron react to Brazilian icon's death
Brazilian footballer Pele
One of the greatest football players of all time, Pele died on Thursday at the age of 82 years after battling cancer. Footballers, clubs, and national federations are still reeling from the loss of the Brazilian legend. Pele's death comes a year after the death of football's Prince of Peace, Diego Maradona. Brazil has declared three days of mourning and has lit up Christ the Redeemerin green.
Pele had removed his colon tumour in 2021 and was admitted to Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo in November amid deteriorating health. The hospital statement confirmed the death of "our dear King of Football” at 3:27 pm local time, “due to the failure of multiple organs, a result of the progression of cancer of colon associated with his previous clinical condition".
A statement from Pelé’s official Instagram page added, "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love. His message today becomes a legacy for future generations. Love, love and love, forever".
As soon as the news broke out, tributes came pouring in from around the world:
French footballer Kylian Mbappe
Former US President Barack Obama
US President Joe Biden
French President Emanuel Macron
He wrote on Instagram, "The game. The king. Eternity."
Former England Player Geoff Hurst
Manchester United Club
FIFA federation
Portugal StrikerCristiano Ronaldo
He wrote on his Instagram, "My deepest condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular, to the family of Mr Edson Arantes do Nascimento. A mere "goodbye" to the eternal King Pele will never be enough to express the pain that embraces the whole world of football at this moment. An inspiration for so many millions, a reference of yesterday, of today, of always."
Argentina Captain Lionel Messi
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He said in his Instagram post, "Before Pelé, 10 was just a number. I’ve read this phrase somewhere, at some point in my life. But this sentence, while beautiful, is incomplete. I would say before Pelé, football was just a sport. Pelé had changed it all. He turned football into art, into entertainment. [He] gave voice to the poor, blacks and most importantly, gave visibility to Brazil".
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