Brazilian football legend Pele, who was for a long time regarded as the best player ever, passed away at the age of 82. The legendary player, a man who went beyond his sport and became a global icon, was informed on December 21 that his colon cancer had progressed and that he would need to stay in the hospital over Christmas in order to receive treatment for cardiac and renal dysfunction.
Prior to his passing away a month after receiving palliative care, he had been admitted to the hospital on November 30 with swelling all over his body and “decompensated heart failure.”
Pele, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, started playing for Santos at the age of 15 and for the Brazilian national team a year later. At the 1958 World Cup, he made his debut as a 17-year-old.
He was the only player to win three World Cups during his international career, in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
