Pele, Brazil’s three-time World Cup-winning legend, dies at 82 after battling prolonged illness

Brazil legend Pele, one of the greatest footballers of all time, died at the age of 82. The news of his demise was confirmed by his daughter on Instagram late on Thursday night. The former Brazilian footballer died of colon cancer after he stopped responding to the chemotherapy treatment. He was admitted to hospital earlier this month to re-evaluate his cancer treatment and was later diagnosed with a respiratory infection. Pele had a tumor removed from his colon in September last year and had since been receiving hospital treatment on a regular basis.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest forwards in the history of the game, the Brazilian Pele made his international debut at age 16 and ended his career as the all-time leading goalscorer for the team, scoring 77 goals in 92 matches.

Pele is the only player to lift the FIFA World Cup thrice – in 1958, 1962, and 1970.

The forward represented Brazilian club Santos for a large part of his playing career (1956-1974), scoring 643 goals for the side in 659 matches. In the final two years of his football career, Pele played for the New York Cosmos in the United States.

Pele lifted the Brazilian league title (Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A) on six occasions (1961, 1962 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1968), and won the Copa Libertadores twice in 1962 and 1963. He was one of the key players in Santos’ ‘Golden Era’ (1959-1974), and led them to two Intercontinental Cup titles in 1962 and 1963, where the club defeated Portuguese side Benfica on both occasions.

In his last ever Instagram post on Friday, Pele had informed that he had been admitted to hospital and thanked the fans for their wishes.

“Friends I’m at the hospital doing my monthly check up. Always nice to get positive messages like this. Thanks to Qatar for this tribute, and to all who send me good vibes!” Pele had written.

Pele was awarded the FIFA Player of the Century award – the feat he shared with Argentina’s Diego Maradona, who passed away last year.

The Brazilian had lifted his first World Cup title at age 18, scoring 6 goals throughout the campaign including two in the final against Sweden. In 1962, Pele had established himself as one of the top-rated players in the world; however, his tournament was cut short as the forward was injured in Brazil’s second match against Czechoslovakia.

In 1970, Pele scored the opening goal for Brazil in the final of the tournament against the high-flying Italian side; the team eventually registered a 4-1 win as Pele cemented his place in the record books with three World Cup titles to his name.