Pele’s daughter Kely Cristina Nascimento shared An emotional Instagram post in the wake of the Brazilian football legend’s death on Thursday. Moments after news emerged that Pele died at the age of 82, Ms Kely shared a photo that showed several pairs of hands clasped around her father’s hand.
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In the caption of her post, Ms Kely claimed that everything she has is “thanks to” her father. “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace,” the translation of the post read.
Pele died on Thursday at a Sao Paulo hospital. He had been in increasingly fragile health and was battling kidney problems and colon cancer. He had been undergoing chemotherapy, however, he stopped responding to the medical procedure and was shifted to palliative care. The legendary football had a tumour removed from his colon in 2021 and was taking chemotherapy ever since.
Pele was born on October 23, 1940, in the southeastern city of Tres Coracoes. The Brazilian football player, also termed ‘The Greatest’ by FIFA, is the only footballer in history to win three World Cups – 1958, 1962 and 1970. Nicknamed “O Rei” (The King), Pele scored more than 1,000 goals in one of the most storied careers in sport, before retiring in 1977.
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Following his death, the entire football fraternity and scores of his fans across the globe paid tribute to the legend. Pele “transformed football into an art,” said Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar in a tribute to his country’s greatest sporting icon.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi also bid the Brazilian football hero farewell in a tweet. “Rest in peace, Pele,” Messi wrote while sharing photos of himself and “The King”. Cristiano Ronaldo also paid his tribute to Pele in a long note on Instagram along with a photograph of the Brazil legend.
