Football icon Pelé dies aged 82 after cancer battle as Gary Lineker pays tribute to the "great entertainer"
29 December 2022, 18:57 | Updated: 29 December 2022, 20:11
Brazilian football legend Pelé has died aged 82 after a long battle with cancer.
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The world's only three-time World Cup winner died today (December 29), according to agent Joe Fraga.
It's thought the footballing icon, who helped popularise the phrase "the beautiful game" to describe his sport, scored 1,281 goals in a glittering professional career.
He had been moved to end-of-life care at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paolo after his body stopped responding to chemotherapy to treat bowel cancer.
Lionel Messi posted an emotional picture of the pair to Instagram with the caption: "Rest in peace."
England 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst also wrote this evening: "I have so many memories of Pelé, without doubt the best footballer I ever played against (with Bobby Moore being the best footballer I ever played alongside).
"For me Pelé remains the greatest of all time and I was proud to be on the the pitch with him.
"RIP Pelé and thank you."
And Gary Lineker said: "The name Pelé is just synonymous with football.
"Pelé's hugely significant not only in the development of football but in football itself, and in the enjoyment of football.
"It's an entertainment business and he was one of the great entertainers, through his pure skill, talent and ability."
French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe wrote: "The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.
"RIP KING."
Read more: Pele to spend Christmas in hospital after medical reports show his cancer has advanced
The striker, who was once named by Fifa as the greatest footballer ever, spent almost all of his playing career at the Brazilian side Santos, playing there between 1956 and 1974.
He made his debut for Santos at 15, playing for the first time for Brazil at 16.
Pelé won the World Cup for the first time at just 17 years of age in 1958, scoring a famous brace in the final against host nation Sweden.
He said after Diego Maradona died in 2020: "I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend.
"There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members.
"One day, I hope we can play football together in the sky."
In 92 games for the national team Pelé scored an incredible 77 goals, a record equalled only by Neymar.
Nicknamed "The King", Pelé moved to New York Cosmos for the final two years of his career.
Pelé - born Edson Arantes do Nascimento - shone on the international stage, embodying the free-flowing, skilful football Brazil is known for.
Pelé was the only player to take part in three World Cup winning squads – 1958, 1962 and 1970 – though he missed the 1962 final through injury.
Eterno. pic.twitter.com/N912VpCmVK
— Santos FC (@SantosFC) December 29, 2022
Fifa, naming him in 2012 as the greatest of all time, said he scored more than 1,200 goals during his career, including more than 1,000 for Santos.
The international sporting body named him the Player of the Century in 2000.
After his retirement as a player, Pelé remained an icon and an ambassador for the sport, often involved in promoting football initiatives.
