Neymar and Mbappe lead tributes to Brazilian great Pele 22-12-29
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Neymar and Mbappe lead tributes to Brazilian great Pele
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Summary
Brazilian legend Pele, arguably the greatest footballer of all time, has died at the age of 82.
The striker is credited with scoring a world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 career appearances
He is the only man to have won the World Cup three times - in 1958, 1962 and 1970
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Gary Rose, Neil Johnston, Malu Cursino and Jeremy Gahagan
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Posted at 12:1512:15
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Lee Anderton: Pele played when players careers were cut short because they would be crippled because of their brilliance and pitches were farmers fields. Greatest ever player has now left us. R.I.P Pele.
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Posted at 12:1212:12
Wembley arch to be lit up in colours of Brazil - FA
The Football Association have announced that Wembley's famous arch will be lit up in the colours of Brazil, in tribute to the football great.
"Everyone who loves football, loves Pele," the FA statement said.
"His unique talent lit up the game, and inspired football.
"Our thoughts are with his family, the Brazil Football Confederation and the Brazilian people."
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Posted at 12:1012:10
Iconic photo used in England tribute
The photo of Pele and Bobby Moore embracing after the classic encounter at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico features in this tribute from England.
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Posted at 12:0812:08
'Only one winner'
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football
Pele's great rival of the age was Portugal's legend Eusebio, but when the pair were in opposition in the 1962 Intercontinental Cup, played between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the European Cup, there was only one winner.
Pele was on target twice in Santos' 3-2 win against Benfica in the Maracana before scoring a hat-trick in a 5-2 victory in return at the Stadium of Light.
In Brazil, Pele will also be associated with the white shirt of Santos, for whom he scored 619 goals in 638 appearances which, coupled with his glorious deeds for his country, gave him - in his homeland at least - the undisputed title of the game's greatest player.
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Posted at 12:0512:05
'The football world has lost a hero'
All the greats of the game, past and present, will have looked up to and been inspired by Pele - the first real global football icon.
Barcelona and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski is the latest to pay tribute to the man he describes as a hero.
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Posted at 12:0212:02
'Greatest icon and ambassador'
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Robert Weaver: The debate over who has been the greatest player will rage on, but there is no question whatsoever that Pele was the greatest icon & ambassador for the beautiful game.
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Posted at 12:0112:01
Three-time World Cup winner
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Posted at 12:0012:00
Pele transformed football into art - Neymar
Brazil star Neymar has now joined an outpouring of tributes amid news of the death of "King Pele".
In a post on Instagram, Neymar says: "Before Pele, '10' was only a number. I read this phrase somewhere, sometime in my life.
"But this phrase, beautiful, is incomplete.
"I would say that before Pele, football was solely a sport.
"Pele changed everything.
"He transformed football into art, into entertainment.
"He gave voice to the poor, to black people, and most importantly: He gave visibility to Brazil.
"Football and Brazil elevated their status thanks to the King!
"He is gone, but his magic will stay.
"Pele is eternal!!"
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Posted at 11:5811:58
Welsh football pays tribute to Pele
It was a goal from Pele that knocked Wales out of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden at the quarter-final stage.
It was the first of his 77 goals for Brazil in 92 appearances.
On Thursday, the Football Association of Wales paid homage to the man who brought down the national team's hopes of victory:
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Posted at 11:5511:55
'Absolute magician'
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Matt Healey: Pele - an absolute magician and part of the best team I’ve ever seen play even though the 70 World Cup was before I was born. May he rest in peace.
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Posted at 11:5311:53
'Pele inspired millions' - Premier League
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Posted at 11:5211:52
'An icon - for everyone'
Katy Watson
South America correspondent in São Paulo
Brazil’s King is dead – and the whole country is in mourning.
Pelé was, of course, a global icon - but for Brazilians, it was so much more personal – he was a national treasure, a hero and a footballing legend.
And the entire country had been waiting - and dreading - this moment.
His daughter, Kely Nascimento, had been posting regular updates of her father’s condition on social media.
On Thursday afternoon, a picture of the family holding hands was posted, with the words: "Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace."
Whether an older Brazilian who remembered him as a player, or a younger Brazilian who was told about his phenomenal skills, the whole of Brazil saw him as an admirable elderly statesman in a country that has been pulled apart by partisan politics in recent years.
Pelé was above all of that: he was footballer - an icon - for everyone.
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Posted at 11:4911:49
'Grace and beauty'
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football
Pele's greatness can be measured by the simple fact that he could make football a spectacle of natural grace and beauty when he missed as much as when he scored.
One of the game's first global personalities, he scored a world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 games and layered his brilliance across a career spanning from his start as a teenager with Santos to a finish as a money-spinner at New York Cosmos.
And wherever football is played, the name of Pele will synonymous with it.
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Posted at 11:4711:47
Post update
Video content
Video caption: Obituary: Brazil legend Pele dies aged 82Obituary: Brazil legend Pele dies aged 82
BBC Sport's Joe Wilson reports on the life and career of Pele, arguably the greatest footballer of all time.
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Posted at 11:4511:45
Post update
Pele was in hospital while the World Cup in Qatar was taking place. Players and fans of Brazil showed their support for the legend during the tournament.
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Posted at 11:4411:44
Mbappe pays tribute to the king of football
France star Kylian Mbappe broke Pele's record for the most goals in the Fifa World Cup scored by a player aged under 24 in Qatar earlier this month.
He has paid tribute to Pele, saying his legacy will never be forgotten.
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Posted at 11:4211:42
'A genius and a legend'
#bbcfootball
Gregg Baxter: Not old enough to have seen his genius, but the stories, clips, and records he has are simply staggering, one of the greatest to ever the play the beautiful game, an iconic figure every football fan knows. Rest in Peace legend.
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Posted at 11:3811:38
'Eternal'
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A nice tribute from the Brazilian Football Federation as they describe Pele as "Eternal" and rather than post his year of death, instead use the infinity symbol.
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Posted at 11:3611:36
Post update
Video content
Video caption: 'Legend' Pele synonymous with football - Lineker'Legend' Pele synonymous with football - Lineker
Here's more from Gary Lineker, who says Pele was synonymous with the football.
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Posted at 11:3311:33
'Pele will always have footballing immortality'
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