FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote in a lengthy tribute that Pele had “achieved immortality,” recalling the top moments from his career, including the “Pele run-around” at the 1970 World Cup and his goal in the 1958 World Cup final at the age of only 17.
“The sight of him punching the air in celebration is one of the most iconic in our sport, and is etched into our history,” said Infantino, who recalled as a child watching Pele starring alongside Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone in the 1981 film “Escape to Victory.”
“In fact, because televised football was still in its infancy at the time, we only saw small glimpses of what he was capable of.”
With 1,281 goals in 1,366 games, according to FIFA, his on-field statistics were matched only by his social impact. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) declared Pele, the only player to win the World Cup three times, “The King of Soccer”.
“A Black, poor boy born in Tres Coracoes, Pele showed us that there is always a new path,” the CBF wrote. “The King gave us a new Brazil and we can only thank him for his legacy.”
In New York, where Pele received a US$1 million-a-year salary to play in the fledgling North American Soccer League in 1975, fans thanked him for opening up the United States to the “beautiful game.”
“Pele helped transform the domestic landscape of the sport of soccer,” the New York Cosmos said in a statement. “Where once there had been baseball diamonds, now there were also soccer pitches.”
Outside of football, sporting greats paid tribute, with Jamaica’s eight-time Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt writing on Twitter: “A Sporting Legend. Rest in Peace King Pele.”
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach called him “a great sporting icon.”
“He was a true believer in the Olympic values,” said Bach. “It was a privilege to present the Olympic Order to him.”
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