Friday 30 December 2022 – 8.53pm
By Ahmed Zahran.
ABU DHABI, 30th December, 2020 (WAM) — As Brazil declared official mourning for 3 days following the death of Brazilian football legend Pele, who passed away yesterday, Thursday at the age of 82, expressions of condolences poured in, sympathy and obituary from all over the world after the global football family lost one of its members, football’s most important stars throughout history.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose term officially expires on Sunday, declared national mourning for a three-day period, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette on Thursday.
As Bolsonaro said in a tweet via ‘Twitter’ following Pele’s death, “we mourn the loss of a man who spread the name of Brazil around the world through football. He transformed football into art and joy.”
Legend Pele’s funeral will take place next Tuesday in his hometown of Santos, among his relatives, according to his former club Santos. His coffin will leave the “Albert Einstein” hospital in São Paulo early Monday morning, where he died yesterday, to head towards the coastal city, about 80 km away, where his body will be placed on the grounds of the “FC Santos “stadium in front of the public to offer their condolences, according to the statement quoted by the club.
The ceremony will continue for 24 hours until 10am on Tuesday, and the funeral procession will wind through the streets of Santos and pass the home of Pele’s mother, Dona Celeste, who recently turned 100.
At the same time, the world, especially the global football family, began to mourn the late star; Where the Swiss Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), mourned the legend Pelé with moving words, underlining that he left a legacy that “words cannot express” and that “he truly reached eternity … and will stay with us forever.”
Prominent stars like Lionel Messi, Brazilian Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo offered their condolences on the death of legend Pele, then Infantino offered his condolences with touching words published by FIFA.
Infantino said, “To all who love the good game, it’s the day we never wanted to come. The day we lose Pele. The king was unique in many things.”
He added: “He was the only player to win the World Cup 3 times and had unrivaled skill and imagination. Pele did things no other player would even dream of doing, such as his famous dribbling in the semi-finals of the 1970 World Cup which became known as / Pele Dribble /, or the goal he scored as a 17-year-old in the 1958 World Cup Final, when he flicked the ball to pass a defender before it hit the net.
He said: ‘I have had the honor of meeting him on several occasions, and in 2016 I was with him as FIFA president at the first screening of his film, which reminded me of sitting next to my father in 1981 when he took a look at me. the film ‘Escape to Victory’ in which Pele starred alongside Sylvester Stallone and a number of other stars”.
“The moments I spent with him will forever remain in my memory and etched in my heart. Pele had a charismatic presence and time with him stood still… My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, to the Brazilian Football Confederation, “The materialist is our dear Pelé. He really reached eternity a long time ago and therefore he will be with us forever.”
At the same time, the German Football Association described the late Pelé as a “symbol for generations”, lauding the former Brazilian star. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said in a statement today Friday that the news of Pele’s death overwhelmed the DFB with “enormous sadness”.
He added: “Football has lost one of its most important symbols. Pelé’s importance goes beyond stadiums. He has been a symbol for generations.”
Hansi Flick, coach of the German national team, said: “There was no better player than Pelé”, who won the World Cup in the years 1958, 1962 and 1970 .. For me he was and still is the king of football . .. His performance was close to ideal, he was integrated and had no weaknesses… Pele could do everything in the game.. He was not only a goalscorer, but his star also shined seeing his team mates, making goals and assists that are as worth watching as his goals.
Real Madrid, holders of the Spanish league and Champions League, expressed their condolences to Pele’s family and paid tribute to the legacy he left behind. The club said in a statement on its website: “Real Madrid CF, its president and board of directors express their deep sorrow at the death of world football legend Pelé, one of the best players of all time.” .
He added: “Real Madrid extends its deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, the clubs he played for, the Brazilian Football Confederation and all fans of the game in Brazil and around the world… The legend of Pelé he will forever remain in the memory of all fans of the sport. His legacy makes him one of the greatest legends in world football.”
FC Barcelona have also claimed that Pelé “made football greater than it has ever been”, and English club Liverpool have described him as a football “icon”. Many other clubs and teams have mourned the legend Pelé, such as Benfica, the Portuguese, which published a photo of Pelé, accompanied by the late Portuguese legend, Eusebio.
The West Ham club have released a photo of Pele with former England captain Bobby Moore following their famous competition in the 1970 World Cup, and Ajax have highlighted Dutch legend Johan Cruyff alongside Pele. Clubs Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City have all evoked memories of Pele, as Arsenal mentioned Pele’s presence in a team match more than 4 decades ago.
Bayern Munich and AC Milan were also among the clubs that mourned Pele and offered condolences on his death. “Thank you for putting South America first,” CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, said in his obituary.
Former England football star David Beckham has thanked legend Pele for his influence on football, and England star Harry Kane has described him as a “true inspiration”.
“Thank you and goodbye. Rest in peace my friend,” Beckham said via Instagram.
“Pele was a true inspiration and one of the greatest people to ever play football. Rest in peace,” said Keane.
The FA also said of the game: “Anyone who loves football, loves Pele. His exceptional talent enlightened the game and inspired the world… Our condolences go out to his family, the Brazilian Football Confederation and the Brazilian people.”
The German newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” said: “Pelé has become the first legendary figure in sport”, while the French newspaper “L’Equipe” published a full-page photo of Pelé, when he was young, and wrote about it: “He was a king.”
And NASA posted a tweet, below an image of the galaxy, and wrote: “We commemorate the passing of the legend Pele, known to many as the king of the ‘beautiful game’. This image of a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor shows the colors of Brazil.”
And former US President Barack Obama posted a photo of himself with Pele on Twitter, commenting: “Pele was one of the greatest players to ever play this beautiful game. As one of the most famous athletes in the world, he has understood the power of sport to bring people together”.
Abdel Nasser Moneim/Ahmed Zahran
