The football world lost “King” Pele at the end of 2022, but the name of this legendary player will live on for a long time, especially through the 738 children who saw the light in Peru last year.

According to a list published by the National Register of Civil Status in Peru at the end of 2022, a total of 738 children were registered under the name of Pele, or Rey Pele (King Pele), or Edson Arantes do Nascimento, which is the real name of the footballer who won 3 times with his country's World Cup team.

Thousands of football fans and those responsible for this sport gathered, on Monday, at the stadium of the Brazilian club Santos, where Pele played between 1956 and 1974, to bid farewell to the Brazilian player who died on December 29 at the age of 82.

Pele, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in football history, was not the only famous figure of the late 2022 year that the Peruvians showed interest in him.

The National Civil Registry also showed that 551 girls were born in Peru in 2022. They were named Queen Elizabeth or Elizabeth II, after the Queen of Britain who died on the eighth of last September.

Ronaldo's name is sweeping

However, the name that topped the list in Peru was Cristiano Ronaldo (or Ronaldo), after the famous Portuguese soccer player, as it was given to 31,583 children in the past year.

Also, the list includes other names, including Leo Messi or Messi, after the Argentine national team star, Lionel Messi, who won the World Cup last month, as 371 newborns were named.

Last year, 229 children in Peru were named after French football star Kylian Mbappe.

The world of cinema also had a share of names in the country, as 733 children were named Maverick, after the hero of the second part of the movie “Top Gun”, which was released last year and stars Tom Cruise.

Among girls, 1,787 girls born in 2022 bear the name of the Colombian singer Shakira.

The list of names for newborns in the country also includes a child named by his parents, Elon Musk, after the American billionaire who recently bought the Twitter platform.

One of the children was named "Qatar", after the country hosting the 2022 World Cup.