Jean-Claude Gerez, edited by Yanis Darras 06:57, December 30, 2022

He was a soccer legend.

The player Pelé died this Thursday at the age of 82, in Brazil, surrounded by his family.

An announcement that shook football fans in the country.

"He is a national idol", "he will remain alive forever", they declare at the microphone of Europe 1.

He was the world's first football star.

Pelé, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died at the age of 82, in hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, after battling cancer for more than a year.

A three-day national mourning has been declared in Brazil.

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"It's not possible"

In the streets of the cities of the country, the emotion is felt.

"He is a national idol, he is the greatest Brazilian personality. It is even moving for us because Brazilians love football and Pelé represents football", explains a Brazilian at the microphone of Europe 1. 

"Pelé dead, it's not possible", explains another football fan met by Europe 1. "I rushed to social networks to see if it was true and I saw that everyone was commenting on his death . I saw that people were very proud of him. The whole world mourns him, but in our hearts he will live on forever." 

An exceptional player

It must be said that his exploits will remain marked in the history of football for a long time.

With 3 World Cup victories and almost 1281 goals scored, Pelé broke all records.

Faced with popular turmoil, Brazilians will be able to gather in the grounds of the Urbano Caldeira stadium, in the city of Santos, where the remains of the footballer will be exposed one last time, before being buried not far from the stadium where he will have played almost his entire career.