(Reuters) – Football fans were united in mourning on Thursday after the death of Pele at the age of 82 as tributes poured in for the Brazil great who defined his sport and inspired generations.
Sao Paolo planned seven days of mourning and the arch at soccer’s cathedral, Wembley Stadium, was lit in the colours of Brazil while icons of sport and heads of state bowed to the man who rose up from childhood poverty to become a legend.
“I had the privilege that younger Brazilians didn’t have: I saw Pele play, live, at Pacaembu and Morumbi. Play, no. I saw Pele give a show,” said Lula, the president-elect of Brazil.
“Because when he got the ball he always did something special, which often ended up in a goal.”
Former Brazil President Dilma Rousseff wrote: “Thank you for the joy you gave the Brazilian people and the people of the world. No one has been a king so loved.”
There was a minute’s silence at Spain’s LaLiga games and a minute’s applause at Olympique de Marseille’s Stade Velodrome as the sport heaped honour on one of the greatest athletes in modern history, the only man to win the World Cup three times.
“Before Pele, football was just a sport. Pele changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment,” wrote Brazil forward Neymar. “He’s gone, but his magic will remain.”
With 1,281 goals in 1,366 games, according to FIFA, his on-field statistics were matched only by his social impact and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) declared him “The King of Soccer.”
“A Black, poor boy born in Tres Coracoes, Pele showed us that there is always a new path,” the CBF wrote. “The King gave us a new Brazil and we can only thank him for his legacy.”
In New York, where Pele received a $1 million-a-year salary to play in the fledgling North American Soccer League in 1975, fans thanked him for opening up the United States to the “beautiful game.”
“No one did more for this sport here, and everywhere,” said Major League Soccer side NYCFC.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, Ken Ferris in London, Simon Jennings in Bengaluru, Tommy Lund in Gdansk, Rory Carroll in Los Angeles)
