Brazil World Cup legend and global football superstar Pele has passed away at the age of 82.
The all-time great has had several battles with illness over recent years and had surgery to remove a tumour from his colon in September 2021. In November, he was admitted to Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo due to “general swelling” before it was revealed in December that his cancer had progressed and needed "greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions".
Pele’s passing was confirmed to the Associated Press by his agent this evening. A post on Pele's official Instagram account read: "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.
READ MORE: Pele sends message to Brazil amid World Cup exit
"His message today becomes a legacy for future generations.
"Love, love and love, forever."
Pele’s daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram: “We are thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Nascimento, who had posted before Christmas that members of Pele’s family would spend the holiday period in the hospital with him, added three heartbroken emojis.
The striker goes down as one of the greatest to ever play the game, having won three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 caps.
During his club career, he played near to 700 games for Santos over 18 years between 1956 and 1974, scoring more than 650 goals. He left the club for New York Cosmos after lifting 25 pieces of domestic silverware.
Including friendlies, Pele netted 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches in all, which is recognised as a Guinness World Record. After two years in the USA, he hung his boots up for good in 1976.
In 1999 he was named as the athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee and player of the 1900s by FIFA alongside the late Diego Maradona. He won countless other individual awards during his lifetime, one of which was the 2005 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Award.
After Brazil’s 2022 World Cup last-16 win over South Korea on December 5, players unfurled a banner in tribute to the country’s hero amid his depreciating condition.
From his hospital bed, he sent an encouraging message to Manchester United attacker Antony after the team's World Cup quarter-final exit to Croatia four days later, saying: "You are part of the future generation. Don't give up and stay strong. The story is just beginning."
Pele opened the Old Trafford museum in April 1998 and revealed in 2006 how the Reds tried to bring the great man to Manchester in 1968. "I even had a proposal from Manchester United... 1968... their best team," he said.
Explaining more at a humanitarian charity event in 2016, he added: "Yes, I had an offer in, I think in '68. The late sixties. The team I used to play for Santos said, 'We have had a number of calls to play in Manchester for Manchester United.
"They asked 'Do you want to play there?' Back then Santos was one of the best teams—Santos and Real Madrid. So I said, 'No, I will stay.'"
Pele did eventually get into the pitch at Old Trafford when he presented Paul Scholes with a commemorative bowl ahead of his testimonial match against New York Cosmos in 2011 (above) before returning in 2016 to the greet stars of Soccer Aid.
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