we begin with news of the death of pele widely regarded as the greatest male footballer ever to play what he described as the beautiful game . he passed away in hospital in sao paulo, surrounded by his family, at the age of 82, having suffered from cancer. during his career he became the first, and so far only, player to win three world cups and scored over a thousand goals. he spent almost all of his club career playing in his native brazil after the government declared him a national treasure, and blocked moves overseas but was also a key part in the short lived north american soccer league playing for the new york cosmos. during his life, he was also a charity fundraiser, a campaigner and a politician. joe wilson reports on the life of a true sporting great. 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 succes
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
for me, the three greats in my lifetime, there s pele, maradona and messi. it s difficult to separate them because they play in totally different eras, but all three of them do things that other players, other mere mortals of footballers, can t do. and i think that s what really lifts them above all the others. well, pele is hugely significant in not only the development of football, but also in football itself and the enjoyment of football, which is the most important thing. it s an entertainment business. and he was one of the great entertainers through his pure skill, talent and ability. and he was also a proven goal scorer. in that sense, he was slightly different, perhaps to someone like maradona and even messi, who were more creative, possibly. but pele was an out and out goal scorer, and he s played a huge part in football. the name pele isjust synonymous with football.
let s get some more reaction from brazil now. tim vickery is a south american football expert, based in rio dejaneiro and he explained to me how brazil had been bracing itself 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, it s a little bit like maybe losing winston churchill, lord nelson, paul mccartney, lewis hamilton and bobby charlton all in one. so even though it hasn t come as a surprise, it s still a shock. even in a country where the population,
pele was one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. and as one of the most recognisable athletes in the world, he understood the power of sports to bring people together. our thoughts are with his family and everyone who loved and admired him. and president elect of brazil lula da silva posted: i had the privilege that younger brazilians didn t have: i saw pele play, live. play, no. i saw pele give a show. because when he got the ball he always did something special, which often ended up in a goal. few brazilians took the name of our country as far as he did. former england footballer and now sports broadcaster gary lineker has been sharing his thoughts on pele s legacy. well, pele is, of course, regarded as a legend, but he actually is a legend, certainly in football terms. he won three world cups and was a majorfigure in doing those. one of the greatest players of all time, won his first world cup in 1958 when he was just 17 years old and scored a hat trick in the semif