Brazil pay tribute to Pele on the one-year anniversary of his death by projecting his shirt onto Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue
- Brazilians have paid tribute to Pele on the one-year anniversary of his death
- They projected a Brazilian shirt onto the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro
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Brazilians have paid tribute to football icon Pele on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Pele died in December 2022 at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo at the age of 82, after a long battle with colon cancer.
Brazilians have decided to commemorate Pele's death by projecting a Brazilian shirt onto the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.
The projection of a Brazil shirt with Pele's name, signature and number 10 was on display during a ceremony on Friday afternoon.
The ceremony also included a message from Pope Francis in memory of the three-time World Cup winner, who was a devout Catholic.
Brazilians have paid tribute to football icon Pele on the one-year anniversary of his death
Pele – widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time – died at the age of 82
Brazilians have decided to commemorate Pele's death by projecting a Brazilian shirt onto the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro
The Pope's message read: 'Pele, as Mr. Edson Arantes do Nascimento became known worldwide, was undoubtedly an athlete who in his life showed all the positive qualities of a sportsman.
“The memory of 'the King of Football' remains indelible in the minds of many, encouraging new generations to look to sport for a way to strengthen the bonds of unity among us.”
Pele has gone down in history as one of the greatest footballers in the world. In his playing career he scored 1,282 goals in 1,366 games, including 77 in 92 games for his country.
Johan Cruyff said Pele was 'the only footballer who went beyond the limits of logic', while German legend Franz Beckenbauer Pele is 'the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for twenty years. There is no one who can compare to him.'
Former Hungary international Ferenc Puskas said: 'The greatest player in history was (Alfredo) Di Stefano. I refuse to classify Pele as a player. He was above that.”
Pele is also known for his sportsmanship, with his warm embrace of England captain Bobby Moore after their titanic clash at the 1970 World Cup being one of the defining images of his career.
Pele is football's greatest icon, a phenomenon who started his career at the age of 15 at Santos (R)
Moore once said of him: 'Pele was the most complete player I ever saw, he had everything. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Fast. Powerful. Can defeat people with skill. Can avoid people.
'He was only five feet tall and yet he seemed like a giant of an athlete on the field. Perfect balance and impossible vision. He was the best because he could do everything on a football field.”