“Before Pele, football was just a sport. Pele changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment,” wrote Brazil forward Neymar. “He’s gone, but his magic will remain.”
With 1 281 goals in 1 366 games, according to FIFA, his on-field statistics were matched only by his social impact and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) declared him “The King of Soccer.”
“A Black, poor boy born in Tres Coracoes, Pele showed us that there is always a new path,” the CBF wrote. “The King gave us a new Brazil and we can only thank him for his legacy.”
In New York, where Pele received a $1 million-a-year salary to play in the fledgling North American Soccer League in 1975, fans thanked him for opening up the United States to the “beautiful game.”
“No one did more for this sport here, and everywhere,” said Major League Soccer side NYCFC.
Source: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/soccers-king-pele-mourned-around-the-globe/
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