JUST IN: Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, a 3-time World Cup winner, has died at 82.
A national hero in Brazil, Pelé is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals and World Cup titles in 1958, 1962, and 1970.He began his soccer career playing for the club Santos at the age of 15 and the Brazilian national team at the age of 16. Pelé is the game's most prolific scorer, credited with 1,281 goals in 1,363 career matches.
The Brazilian ended his career with the New York Cosmos, where he played from 1975-77, winning one national title and attracting sports greats like boxer Muhammad Ali to watch him play as soccer took root in the United States. Credited with coining the term"The Beautiful Game" for soccer, Pelé's"electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals" made him a star around the world, according to Britannica. During his playing days, Pelé was, for a period, the highest-paid athlete in the world.
In 2020, Pelé spent his 80th birthday isolated at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the rest of the country celebrated with huge fanfare. He also skipped an event unveiling of a life size statue of him at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro that same year.
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