Did Pele die?
Today I ask myself, is Pelé dead? I have often heard in the mainstream media the phrase “Edson Arantes do Nascimento died, but Pelé will be eternal.”
However, it has been many years since Pelé was even remembered in the sports media, among football players, Pelé was not as valued.
And many people took to social media to question the value of King Pelé, due to personal problems with his daughter. In short, will Pelé continue to live on for the Brazilian people?
Therefore, I want to ask whether we can say that Pelé will continue to live, or whether Pelé died?
The life of King Pele
At first, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in a small town in Minas Gerais, the city of Três Corações could not imagine that a King would be born there.
October 23, 1940 was chosen by God for his birth, when he was only 4 years old his parents moved to Bauru, in the interior of São Paulo.
Few people know, but he started out in football as a goalkeeper, inspired by a friend of his father's nicknamed Bilé. As he didn't know how to pronounce Bilé correctly, when he made saves, the boy would shout "hold on Pilé".
The boy Edson even worked as a shoeshine boy to help his family in the city of Bauru.
Pelé's beginnings in football
Firstly, his prominence on the streets brought him the opportunity to play for the Clube Atlético de Bauru team. When he was just 11 years old, he was already standing out on the fields of the interior of São Paulo.
Thus, when he was still 15 years old, Waldemar de Brito took him to Santos. His first match as a professional was just 1 month after his arrival.
On that occasion, the Santos team faced Corinthians from Santo André, the match ended 7-1 for Santos. Pelém only entered in the second half and scored the team's sixth goal.
When he was just 16 years old, Brazil began to get to know him, after all he was already the top scorer in the São Paulo championship for Santos, having scored the incredible number of 36 goals.
Santos was one of the best teams ever seen, and its star player was the young boy nicknamed Pelé. He enchanted the world in every championship he played in. The team where Pelé would score his thousandth goal in 1969.
Pelé in the Brazilian national team
At just 17 years old, Pelé helped the Brazilian team win the World Cup. At that moment the world knew the King of Football.
His goals, dribbles and passes showed the world that he was a complete player, who could hit with both his right and left foot. He scored goals with his head and free kicks, dribbled to both sides, and had unique ball control.
In his first World Cup, Pelé scored 6 goals, at just 17 years old. His calling card was excellent, his name was beginning to be known in every corner of the world.
His first goal came against Wales in the 1958 World Cup quarter-finals, making him the youngest player to score in a World Cup.
In the 1962 World Cup, Pelé was injured, which compromised his performance and continuity in the World Cup. However, in 1970, another title was won by the King of Football.
Alongside Rivelino, Tostão, Jairzinho, Gérson and company, Pelé established himself as the King of Football. In total, he scored 95 goals wearing the Brazilian jersey. But is Pelé dead?
A war stopped to see the King of Football
First of all, everyone wanted to see Pelé, so the Santos team went on tours to many places around the world playing friendly matches.
Thus, the Santos team ended up in Nigeria in 1969, the country was facing a major war, however, the war had a truce to watch Pelé play.
The players stated that as soon as the plane took off, they could hear gunshots near the airport. However, while the team was there, no shots were fired.
Pelé managed to do extraordinary things, on and off the field, and because of him the world saw Brazil as the country of football. Everyone who works for and loves football owes a lot to Pelé. But is Pelé dead?
Did Pele die?
On December 29, 2022, Edson Arantes do Nascimento died from multiple organ failure. A wake was held at Vila Belmiro, the scene of great miracles performed by the athlete wearing the Santos shirt.
Around 240,000 people attended the wake, which was also attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues.
In addition to the presence of some former football players, such as Neto, a former Corinthians player. However, many absences were noted, such as Neymar, who was off on the day but did not attend the wake.
As well as Kaka, who had recently complained that Brazilians did not value their idols, but he was not at the King of Football's wake.
So, the question remains: did Pelé die? More than that, when did he actually die? He was rarely remembered in recent years, when he was ill.
When we compare Maradona's wake, we see dozens of players and former players present and a country in great emotion. We are just a few days away from the King's burial, will he continue to be remembered?
Pelé is the King of Football
Pelé is the only player to win 3 World Cups, 1958/1962/1970. In addition, he is the only player to score 1283 goals in his career.
There is no other human being capable of doing what he did on the field. His numbers are impressive, his records unmatched.
Pelé will never die, his name will always be in history as the greatest player of all time. More than the greatest athlete of the century, he will always be the King of Football.
Meet the Pele Museum in the city of Santos.
See also the text on the Football as an agent of social transformation.
