Neymar led soccer’s emotional tributes to Pele following the death of the Brazil legend on Thursday, when the Paris Saint Germain star said his iconic compatriot had transformed the sport “into an art”.
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Pele has passed away aged 82 after suffering “multiple organ failure” following a long battle with cancer and current and former soccer stars were quick to salute arguably the game’s greatest player.
Nicknamed “O Rei” (The King), Pelé scored more than 1,000 goals before retiring in 1977.
Brazilian striker Neymar praised Pelé, the only man to win three World Cups, in a social media post alongside two photos of himself with the caption.
“Before Pelé, ’10’ was just a number,“Wrote on Instagram the heir to Pele’s famous jersey number.
“But that beautiful sentence is incomplete. He would say that before Pelé, soccer was just a sport.
“He transformed soccer into an art, into entertainment… Soccer and Brazil gained status thanks to the King. He is gone, but his magic will remain. Pelé is ETERNAL!“
Like Pelé, French striker Kylian Mbappe rose to stardom after winning the World Cup at a young age in 2018.
Pelé had tweeted congratulations to Mbappé as the then-19-year-old became the first teenager to score more than once in a World Cup match, against Argentina in the 2018 tournament, since the Brazilian’s brace against Sweden in the 1958 final.
“The king of soccer has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten. RIP KINGtweeted PSG striker Mbappé, who scored a hat-trick in France’s loss to Argentina in the World Cup final earlier this month.
Pelé also won the World Cup in 1962 and 1970, with Argentina and PSG striker Lionel Messi being one of the few players considered close to him.
Freshly cementing his status among soccer immortals by winning his first World Cup, Messi posted a photo of himself with the Brazilian on Instagram along with the message: “Rest in peace, Pele.“
Cristiano Ronaldo, who showed a photo of Pelé presenting an award to the Portuguese striker, praised him as an “inspiration for millions, a reference from yesterday, today, forever.”
“The affection that he always showed me was reciprocated in every moment we shared, even from a distance.Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.
“He will never be forgotten and his memory will live forever in each of the football lovers. Rest in peace, King Pele.“
Record-breaking Manchester City striker Erling Haaland joined in the tributes, saying: “Anything you see any player do, Pelé did it first. RIP.”
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The best of all time’
England’s former World Cup winner Geoff Hurst played Pelé in the 1970 World Cup (Brazil won a group stage game between the countries 1-0) and called the striker the best he has ever played. has faced.
“I have so many memories of Pelé, without a doubt the best footballer I ever facedtweeted Hurst, who was the first man to score a hat trick in the World Cup final in England’s 1966 win against West Germany.
“For me, Pelé is still the greatest of all time and I was proud to be on the pitch with him. RIP Pele and thank you.“
Hurst’s World Cup-winning teammate Bobby Charlton added: “Pele was a truly magical footballer and a wonderful human being. It was an honor to have shared a pitch with him.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram: “Pele: Immortal – forever with us.“
Didier Deschamps, a World Cup winner as a player for France and in his current role as Les Bleus coach, said Pele had “inspired dreams.”
“With the death of Pelé, football has lost one of its most beautiful legends, if not the most beautiful. Like all legends, the King seemed immortal,” Deschamps said.
Pele was a trailblazer throughout his amazing career, helping to popularize soccer in the United States when he joined the New York Cosmos.
He made his last professional appearance in New York, representing Cosmos on one half and his former Brazilian club Santos on the other.
German great Franz Beckenbauer played with Pelé at the Cosmos and summed up the global outpouring of affection.
“Today football lost the greatest man in its history and I lost a unique friend,” he said.
