President Muhammadu Buhari says Brazilian soccer legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, widely known as Pele, made a huge contribution to the development of global football in particular and sport in general.
Pele died at the age of 82 on Thursday following a battle with cancer.
He won three World Cups and scored over 1,281 goals, becoming the football icon in a long career for which he was named the ‘Player of the Century’ in 2000.
In a tribute to the football legend issued on Thursday by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, President Buhari said: “May he rest in peace. He led a good life and made a huge contribution to the development of global football in particular and world sport in general.
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“He had an enormous generosity of spirit and humility despite his greatness as a footballer and sportsman. He also built bridges across nations, races, and even religions. He was a UN Ambassador of goodwill. Pele is gone but the world will never forget him. RIP.”
Pele ended his playing days at New York Cosmos and retired from football in 1977.
After retiring, Pele acted as an ambassador for football.
In 2013, he was awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur in recognition of his career and achievements.
In 2020, he was named in the Ballon d’Or Dream Team, a greatest of all-time XI.
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