Icon and The ‘Brazilian King of Football’ Pele Dies at Age 82

Pele, the international soccer icon, winner of three World Cups, and the “Brazilian King of Football,” has died at age 82.

According to ESPN, Pele has been receiving treatment for colon cancer since 2021 and was hospitalized for the last month with multiple ailments. Pele died at 3:27 p.m. at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital “due to multiple organ failures resulting from the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous medical condition.”

Pele’s casket will be carried through the streets of Santos, where his career began. Pele’s funeral would take place on Monday and Tuesday at Santos’ Vila Belmiro Stadium outside of Sao Paulo, where he played some of his best games.

Pele became a global ambassador for soccer and is widely considered one of the best players in history. He won his first World Cup at 17 in Sweden as the youngest player ever in the tournament. He was carried off the field in celebration after scoring 2 goals in the 5-2 victory by Brazil over Sweden.

In addition to two more World Cup wins, Pele was knighted Queen Elizabeth II in 1997, became Brazil’s minister of sport, became an ambassador for the United Nations and more.