Legendary footballer Pelé passes away

The world of football is in mourning. The legendary footballer, Pelé, passed away today, 29 December, at the 82 years old.

Born on 23 October 1940, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more commonly known as Pelé, is considered one of the best players in the history of football. The Brazilian played for Santos from 1956 to 1974, cementing his legendary status at the Brazilian club along the way. He latterly when on to play for the New York Cosmos in the United States of America from 1975 to 1980, where he finally brought the curtain down on his career.

‘O Rei’ of World Cups

Pelé played 92 games for Brazil, scoring 77 goals, currently sharing first place as leading goalscorer for the national side alongside Neymar Jr. He is also the only player to have ever won three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Extensive honours at club level

Pelé won the Brazilian Serie A six times, plus the league title with New York Cosmos. With Santos he also won two Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups, as well as an Intercontinental Champions' Supercup. When it comes to regional tournaments, he won 10 Campeonatos Paulistas, and the Río-São Paulo tournament four times.

Let's not forget that the Brazilian star played three games in Barça's stadium for Santos, and as expected, he scored.

Having scored over 1,000 competitive goals, Pelé is considered the forward of his time and his status goes way beyond simply football. He will always be remembered as one of the most important players in the history of the sport, and will remain a legend for all time.