The three-time World Cup winner died Thursday after a battle with colon cancer.
Brazilian soccer legend Pelé died on Thursday after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. He was 82.
Pelé's family confirmed his death with a message on social media in both English and Portuguese. "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today," the statement reads. "On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love."
"His message today becomes a legacy for future generations," it continues. "Love, love and love, forever."
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on Oct. 20, 1940, the forward is considered to be one of the greatest soccer players of all time. He began playing for the Brazil national team at age 16, and went on to win World Cups in 1958, 1960 and 1970 -- the only player to win three times in his career.
Pelé is the joint-top goalscorer in Brazilian soccer history with 77 goals in 92 games for his country's team. His career 1,279 goals in 1,363 games (including friendlies) is recognized as a Guinness World Record.
At the club level, Pelé played 18 years for Santos FC, and is the team's all-time top goalscorer with 643 goals in 659 games. Over the course of his celebrated career, the forward led the club to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores, and to the 1962 and 1963 Intercontinental Cup. He later played two years with the New York Cosmos, in what was then the North American Soccer League, and also served as Brazil's Minister of Sports from 1995-1998.
In 1999, Pelé was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee, and in 2000, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century.
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