Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, May 09, 2025

'Thank you, King': Brazil lights up in honour of Pelé

'Thank you, King': Brazil lights up in honour of Pelé

Brazil has woken up to its first day without footballing legend Pelé.

"The King", who won three World Cups and was widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, died at the age of 82 in São Paulo on Thursday.

Overnight, Pelé's face shone on buildings across the South American nation and landmarks were lit up in his memory. Fans took to the streets dressed in his iconic number 10 shirt.

Brazil's government has declared three days of national mourning.

The front pages in Brazil were all talking about Pelé on Friday. One read "Pelé died, if indeed Pelé can die", because for Brazilians, he is their eternal King.

The last time national mourning was declared was when Queen Elizabeth II died. Lots of parallels have been drawn between Pelé and royalty - he was the closest Brazil had.

Supporters started gathering outside São Paulo's Albert Einstein hospital the previous afternoon when they heard news of Pele's death.

Pelé had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer since 2021. Knowing his condition was worsening, Brazilians had spent weeks reflecting on his life and legacy.

Many feel relieved his suffering is over - but he is an iconic sportsman who will be dearly missed.

The hospital issued a statement confirming his death from multiple organ failure connected to his cancer.

But in a reflection of his status, the hospital added it shared the suffering felt by the family and everyone over the loss of "our beloved King of football".

One man, standing outside the Fiesp building in São Paulo as it displayed a colourful tribute, spoke of the intensity of feeling for Pelé.

"It is indescribable to say at this moment what we are going through here; the loss," Widisley Guimarães told Reuters news agency.

At São Paulo's Museum of Football, an exhibition was erected overnight to promote Brazil's beloved King, even putting on display the football shirt he wore in 1970 when he scored the first goal against Italy and Brazil ultimately won. That was his third World Cup title, cementing his status as footballing legend.

"For us, he's a national symbol who turned into an international symbol, who took our country to all corners of the world," said Romulo Rezende Dias, who had come to see the display with his wife and three children.

"Brazil may not have a monarchy, but in football we have our King."


Andres Moreno Castillo Junior is among Pelé's admirers

Andres Moreno Castillo Junior, whose father founded one of the biggest supporters' clubs for Corinthians, a rival to Pelé's Santos, said that whenever the late footballer was on the pitch, the opposition almost always lost.

"Pelé and his legacy will be eternal. With the football he achieved in his era, imagine what he could have done with today's technology."

Tributes have poured in for him, including from Brazil forward Neymar, who said: "Before Pelé, football was only a sport.

"Pelé changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, to black people."

France striker and Neymar's Paris St-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappé added "his legacy will never be forgotten".

Pelé scored a world record of 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals in 92 matches for his country.

The only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970, Pelé was named Fifa's Player of the Century in 2000.

But he was a cultural icon, too.

As a black man, Pelé rose to the status of national treasure in a country with a deep history of slavery and legacy of segregation that persists.

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

Pelé 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.

While national mourning will last for three days, São Paulo state authorities have said their period of mourning will go on for a week. But really, Brazilians will mourn for much longer.

Pelé's wake will be held on Monday at the Santos Football club - for many years, his home stadium.

The following day, his coffin will be carried through the streets of the coastal city of Santos, before a private burial.

This weekend was expected to be momentous in Brazil as Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - whose swearing in takes place on Sunday - returns to the presidency, 20 years after the start of his first term in office.

Instead, Brazilians will be paying tribute to a man who transcended politics - a man who represented this entire footballing nation.

The Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro - where Pelé scored the 1,000th goal of his career - was lit in gold in tribute

An image of Pelé was displayed on the facade of a shopping centre in São Paulo with the caption: "Thank you, King"

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro was illuminated in the colours of the Brazilian flag

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
×