Brazil Honors Pelé on Anniversary of His Death in Beautiful Display

The famous Christ the Redeemer statue wore a projected No. 10 Brazil jersey of Pelé for the event. Onlookers saw the image of this statue of Jesus wearing a football jersey as a fitting tribute to the late national sports figure.

Pelé experienced renal and cardiac complications, which led to his eventual death from multiple organ failure at Albert Einstein Hospital on Dec. 29, 2022. He died at the age of 82, and the Brazilian government called for a national period of mourning for three days upon news of his death.

“Pelé, as Mr. Edson Arantes do Nascimento became globally known, was undoubtedly an athlete who showed in his life all positive traits of a sportsman,” the Pope’s letter said. Pelé was a devoted Catholic who had a devout family upbringing.

Pope Francis was once asked to choose between Argentine football players Messi and Maradona to determine who was his favorite. To the surprise of the crowd, he decided to talk about Pelé instead of the other two.

He played at the World Cup at just 17 years old and won three World Cups in his career, the highest level of football played worldwide. No other player has replicated this feat. He also has a long list of achievements, including Guinness World Records that no player has broken to this day.

His fame as a football player brought popularity to the port town of Santos, making it well-known worldwide. He played for the team in Santos when he was 15 before moving up to the national team in Brazil.

His other nickname from his time as a player is “the king of football.” He received this nickname after his performance at the 1958 World Cup.

In his last years, Pelé was an opponent of Vladimir Putin. In 2022, he publicly decried Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Instagram.

One of Pelé’s sons, Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, performed a ceremony where 10 white balloons were released into the air. A crowd observed the tribute in the stadium. Pelé’s funeral was held in this stadium just a year before, making it an important place for Pelé fans and other football players.

The Michaelis dictionary defined the word as “someone who is out of the ordinary, who or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equated to anything or anyone.”

“A simple goodbye to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that hits the entire world of football at this moment. An inspiration for so many millions, a reference of yesterday, today, always,” he said.

His lengthy, nearly 20-year reign at the top of the game of football is an inspirational story that will remain in the hearts of Brazilians and fans across the world for years to come.