Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Pelé: Why black Brazilians like me mourn the king

Pelé: Why black Brazilians like me mourn the king

Pelé, o Rei, has died.

Brazil and the world are grieving, and many of us mourn an idol we never saw on the pitch.

Being 23 years old, I was not around during the start, middle, or even the end of his glowing football career. But that does not matter. Pelé was and always will be a household name.

Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, a city of exuberance and vibrancy, football played a crucial role in our life.

Maracanã, where Pelé scored his thousandth goal, was emblematic of my day-to-day routine until I moved to the UK, aged 11.

We were always nearby. The buzz and frenzy during match days could be felt across the city. Traffic would be slower, restaurants busier, and the streets much louder.

Following the news of king Pelé's death last night, as I was writing for the BBC's tributes live page, my family group chat kept buzzing.

Four generations, all devastated in equal measure by the death of an idol. Words, emojis and GIFs expressed our shock - we are Brazilian, after all, and emotions tend to run high.

But what stuck with me was a comment from my aunt. She highlighted that Brazilian media, while discussing Pelé's life, used the phrase: "Our king is black."


Thousands of football fans from across Brazil flock to Rio de Janeiro to watch big matches at Maracanã

His stardom is unquestionable - and his influence worldwide says much more about him than his ethnicity and background.

But for Brazil's black community, hearing those words matter. A lot. And they signify a paradigm shift we have been going through for decades - one which Pelé played a crucial role in.

Because Pelé rose to the status of national treasure in a country with a deep history of slavery, and a legacy of division.

He regularly faced monkey chants on the pitch and had several racist nicknames. He once said that if he had stopped every game after a monkey taunt, he would have had to stop them all.

He was key to carving out space and recognition for black people in Brazilian football, his biographer Angelica Basthi has said - but he was never directly involved in the fight against racism.

Speaking to my mum, she tells me that Pelé "signifies greatness and contradiction".

Contradiction, because many Brazilians struggled with his resistance to speak out against racism.

Greatness, due to the path he forged for us, black Brazilians. Pelé rose to stardom despite Brazil's deeply rooted racism.

"He allowed us, black Brazilians, to see one of our own being acclaimed by the masses, considered a King, an icon for the whole country," my mum tells me.

"Pelé won his first World Cup only 70 years after slavery was abolished [in Brazil], in a country which continued, and continues, to treat black people as third-class citizens.

"He was an icon, who made us realise that it is possible to be a black man of international prominence."

Brazil abolished slavery in 1888. It is not ancient history for us, and anti-black racism continues to be rife.

Pelé's voice and gravitas could be heard in the commentary of big games long after the end of his career - particularly during World Cups.

"Even being quiet, he was able to contribute a lot towards Brazil's image worldwide," Edward Helal, my friend and a huge football fan, tells me.

Asked about the mood in Rio, Edward says most people are taking time to pay tributes and express their gratitude to the king of football.

Even now, during my annual visits back home, I dare not suggest having anything other than our world-renowned football commentary in the background on a Wednesday evening or Sunday afternoon.

I have Pelé to thank - and blame - for it.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×