for all of you watching in the uk, on pbs in the us and around the globe, welcome to bbc news as we bring you continuing coverage of the death of the brazilian footballer, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, pele. he died at the aged of 82 and had been suffering from cancer. during his career, he won three fifa world cups, the only player to do so, and received countless awards and titles. in brazil, he is hailed as a national hero for his achievements in football, and for his repeated calls to improve the social conditions of the poor. joe wilson reports on the life of one of the true greats. the greatest, it s opinion, but pele led, others stand on his shoulders. well over 1,000 goals, a career of over 20 years, three times a world cup winner. brazilian football, synonymous with flair and success, was built on pele. in 1958, pele took part in his first world cup tournament, aged just 17. he scored six goals in four matches, playing himself to the point of ex
well over 1,000 goals, a career of over 20 years, three times a world cup winner. brazilian football, synonymous with flair and success, was built on pele. in 1958, pele took part in his first world cup tournament, aged just 17. he scored six goals in four matches, playing himself to the point of exhaustion. when brazil beat sweden in the final, one opponent said when he watched pele, he felt like applauding. injury limited his role in the 1962 world cup. in 1966, well, opposing teams knew they had to stop pele one way or another. four years later, in 1970 in mexico, pele was part of a brazilian team widely regarded as the best set of players ever. they won the world cup with a freedom of expression and fluency never seen before. it was pele s last world cup. without him, brazil waited another 2a years before winning the trophy again. pele remained in demand.
the king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten. rip king. and former german football great franz beckenbauer tweeted football lost the greatest in its history today and i lost a unique friend. football will be yours forever. rest in peace @pele tim vickery is a south american football expert. he said brazil had been braced for this news. there s an element of being prepared for this moment, but when it comes, it hits people very hard because there s almost no one in brazil who s old enough to remember a world before there was pele. he s so synonymous with the country for winning. for winning in style and for winning in style with a smile on his face. he s the greatest diplomat that brazil has ever produced, the greatest pr machine i think that brazil has ever produced. and to put this in a uk context,
very much for your recollections. - tributes are pouring in for pele, including from football stars on instagram. argentina s world cup winnning captain lionel messi posted this photo with the caption rest in peace, pele. brazil s neymar said pele changed everything. he transformed football into art, into entertainment. he gave voice to the poor, to black people, and most importantly. he gave visibility to brazil. football and brazil elevated their status thanks to the king! christino ronaldo also posted a photo, part of his caption reads a mere goodbye to the eternal king pele will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently feeling. rest in peace king pele. on twitter football stars including the brazilian attacking midfielder rivaldo tweeted: i am grateful to god that @pele is brazilian. 0ur football is known and respected worldwide for everything he has done on the field, and will never be forgotten. king pele, your legacy is eternal. fr