By: Ilana Siyance
On Thursday, the Brazilian soccer star known as Pele’ passed away at the age of 82.
Pele’, originally named Edson Arantes do Nascimento, had played as a forward, winning a record three World Cups. He became revered as one of the best players of all time and labelled “the greatest” by FIFA. His health had declined in a battle with cancer over the last few years, and he was living full time in Brazil. As reported by the NY Times, there was a 24-hour wake held for him on Tuesday at the soccer stadium in Brazil, to give the masses a chance to mourn for the man who had brought them so much joy.
The Santos soccer club estimated a total of 230,000 people had attended the wake, with the orderly line inching forward hour after hour through the stadium, stretching roughly two-thirds of a mile. “This is no sacrifice,” Walter Henrique, 35, told the Times, referring to the few hours that he would wait on line, and the three hours he had traveled in the middle of the night to get to the stadium. “He gave us so much joy that it’s a pleasure to be here.”
“Pelé was the king,” said João de Souza, 58, an entrepreneur in the crowded stadium at 3:30 a.m. “He showed the Brazilian spirit to the whole world, showed that Brazil has guts.” Pele’ passed away on Dec. 29 at Albert Einstein hospital in São Paulo, losing a battle to cancer. As per the Post, he had been in hospice at the top-rated hospital for over a month, and since 2021 had been undergoing treatment for metastatic cancer. Chemotherapy was also reportedly no longer helping him. “We continue to be here, in fight and in faith. Another night together,” Pele’s daughter, Kely Nascimento, had posted on Instagram on Dec. 25th, sharing a moving photo of her hugging her father in a hospital bed.
Pele’ had won his first World Cup at age 17. His illustrious career, playing for the Santos and later the New York Cosmos, had spanned from the 1950s to the 1970s. He had retired from professional sports at the age of 36. In the last years of hislife he had been mostly secluded in his mansion in the beachfront city of Guarujá, on the coast of the state of São Paulo. Pelé also had residences in Santos and in São Paulo.
In 2018, Pele’ had sold his Hamptons home for $2.85 million. He had owned the home for close to 40 years, and went there every summer to be close to two of his daughters who live in New York City. He had purchased the waterfront ranch in 1979 for $156,000 — which would be roughly $680,000 today. The one-acre, 3,400 square foot home featured six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, an office, a media room, an expansive deck, a pool, and deeded access to Clearwater beach.
“Now he rests in peace,” João de Souza said. “But his legacy, his reign, will be eternal.”
