In 1977, when asked to create a portrait of Pele, artist Andy Warhol joked: ‘Pele was one of the few who contradicted my theory: Instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will have 15 centuries.’
It captures the world’s admiration for the football player, largely regarded as the greatest to ever play the game, who passed away at the age of 82.
Pele was recognized as the best of his generation by his contemporaries, but admiration for the Brazilian went far beyond the stadium and into the worlds of football, politics, and popular culture.
Nobody can say with full clarity how Edson Arantes do Nascimento came to be known only as Pele, but those four letters commanded respect around the world.
When a reporter once questioned Pele about if his fame was similar to that of Jesus Christ, he responded, “There are places in the globe where Jesus Christ is not so widely known.
Kylian Mbappe, one of the greatest footballers took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the sad news, “The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.
RIP KING 💔👑…”
The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.
RIP KING 💔👑… pic.twitter.com/F55PrcM2Ud— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 29, 2022
Pele had scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, a record that the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes but that is widely contested because it includes friendly games.
However, Pele’s life off the field was just as vibrant as Brazil’s illustrious yellow shirts. He had numerous affairs in addition to getting married three times, the last time at the age of 75. He is the father of at least seven kids with several mothers.
Because of his inherent potential, Pele’s youth team coach told the Santos directors that the 15-year-old will one day be “the best football player in the world.”
At the age of 16, he scored the most goals in the league. He would go on to score 643 goals overall in 659 games for Santos, his club for 18 years until 1974 as they dominated Brazilian domestic football.
This was the most goals ever scored for a single club before Lionel Messi broke it in December of last year with his 644th goal for Barcelona.
