"Albert Einstein Hospital confirms the death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé, this December 29, 2022, at 3:27 p.m., due to multiple organ failure due to the progression of his colon cancer", can we read in the medical bulletin.
"We love you to infinity, rest in peace", had written shortly before on Instagram Kely Nascimento, one of Pelé's daughters, whose health had been faltering in recent years.
Outside the hospital where the three-time world champion died, fans held up a banner that read: 'Eternal King Pelé'.
The announcement of his death caused a real shock wave around the world, with a shower of tributes on social networks.
"He made football an art", wrote on Instagram the striker of Paris SG Neymar, his heir within the Brazilian selection.
"The king of football has left us, but his legacy will never be forgotten, rest in peace, King," said France superstar Kylian Mbappé, often compared to Pelé for his precociousness.
"Rest in peace, Pelé", reacted for his part Lionel Messi, teammate of Neymar and Mbappé at PSG and winner of the Football World Cup with Argentina on December 18.
"Few Brazilians have carried the name of our country as far as he does," responded Brazil's President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will be enthroned on Sunday.
The Brazilian presidency, which Jair Bolsonaro holds until Saturday, for its part hailed the memory of "one of the greatest athletes of all time".
Fifa, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and Santos FC, his lifelong club, also paid tribute to him.
The city of Santos declared an official mourning for seven days, while the Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado, an emblematic monument which dominates the bay of Rio de Janeiro, was illuminated in the colors of Brazil.
"It's a big loss for Brazil, it gave us three world titles. May Maradona receive it so they can dribble together in the sky," Edlaine de Oliveira, a 45-year-old teacher in Brasilia, told AFP.
Athlete of the Century
No player has shaken the nets so much: 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches in the jerseys of Santos (1956-74), his club in Brazil, the national "Seleçao" and the New York Cosmos (1975-77).
But beyond the numbers, Pelé will be remembered as the "King" who revolutionized his sport, with his eternal number 10 on his back.
Pelé in the Brazilian jersey during a friendly match against a world selection, October 31, 1990 in Milan © Gerard MALIE / AFP/Archives
This genius dribbler was the forerunner of modern football, with exceptional technical quality combined with extraordinary athletic abilities despite his modest height (1.72 m).
Pelé was also a big emotional, as evidenced by the black and white images of the 17-year-old boy bursting into tears after winning the first of his three world titles, in 1958, in Sweden.
He thus kept the promise made to his father, eight years after having seen him cry while listening to the radio on the "Maracanazo", nickname given to the defeat against Uruguay which had deprived Brazil of a first world title in 1950. home.
In 1970, during the first World Cup broadcast in color by television channels, it was with a radiant smile that the King, at the peak of his art, celebrated the historic treble, within a team that many consider to be the most talented of all time, with Rivelino, Tostao or Jairzinho.
"One Kidney, Three Hearts"
The world of football had already held its breath in November 2014, when the Brazilian was placed in intensive care after a serious urinary infection which had required his placement on dialysis.
During his playing career, a broken rib during a game damaged his right kidney, which was eventually removed.
He only had one kidney, but "three hearts", he joked, referring to the name of his hometown, Tres Coraçoes, in the state of Minas Gerais (southeast).
Born on October 23, 1940 into a poor family, little Edson had to sell peanuts in the street to help his parents.
His first name was chosen in homage to Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb.
He signed his first professional contract at the age of 15 with Santos, a club with which he piled up titles, notably lifting two consecutive intercontinental cups, against Benfica (1962) and AC Milan (1963).
On November 19, 1969, when he scored the thousandth goal of his career in the legendary Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the match was interrupted for about twenty minutes, the time of an interminable lap of honor.
minister and singer
During tours of friendly matches abroad with Santos or with the Seleçao, he was received like a head of state.
Pelé during the 1962 World Cup in Chile, June 1, 1962 in Vina del Mar © STAFF / AFP / Archives
Pelé never yielded to the advances of the big European clubs, but offered himself a last golden freelance at the Cosmos in New York, contributing to the first, ephemeral rise of "soccer" in the United States, where he put an end to his career, in 1977.
His reign also extended outside the field, with film roles, recorded songs and even a post as Minister of Sports (1995-1998).
Unlike the eternal rebel Maradona, he was often perceived in Brazil as a man close to established power, including during the military dictatorship (1964-1985).
© 2022 AFP