Pele dies at 82: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo lead football fraternity in tributes for Brazil’s ‘eternal king’

Footballing legend Pele, who is also a three-time World Cup winner, passed away at the age of 82, his daughter confirmed on Instagram on Thursday night. The footballer gained immense fame in the world of football, and scored a record 1,281 goals throughout his career.

Doctors had detected a tumor on his colon in September this year, following which Pele was frequently in and out of the hospital. During his last visit Pele was also diagnosed with a respiratory infection.

Soon after the news broke out wishes and tributes started pouring on social media from footballing greats, which included the likes of modern day superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.

Messi, who recently lifted the FIFA World Cup with Argentina, took to his official Instagram account to pay his respect to Pele.

Mbappe shared a photo of him with the Brazilian legend and wrote: “The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.”

Condoling the demise, Ronaldo spoke about the greatness Pele beholds in a lengthy post on Instagram. Neymar too took to Instagram and paid tribute to his country’s hero.

Pele was one of the biggest ambassador of football, who with sublime skills and a winning smile made it the most popular sport on globe.

Pele joined Santos as a teenager and turned the club into one of the most famous names in football. He spent 18 glorious years at the club, where he won every honor in Brazilian football. Apart from that he added two Copa Libertadores – the South American equivalent of the Champions League – and two Intercontinental Cups, the annual tournament held between the best teams in Europe and South America.

Pele made his international debut at the age of 16 and ended his career as the all-time leading goalscorer for the team, scoring 77 goals in 92 matches.