Brazil pays tributes to Pele one year after his death, Christ the Redeemer wears his number

Brazilians paid tribute to football great Pele on his first anniversary of death on Friday. Pele, who won the World Cup three times, died at the age of 82 due to colon cancer.

A ceremony at Rio de Janeiro’s famed Christ the Redeemer featured a projection of a Brazil shirt with Pele’s name and number 10 on the statue and a message from Pope Francis, who commended Pelé’s sportsmanship.

“Pelé, as Mr. Edson Arantes do Nascimento became globally known, was undoubtedly an athlete who showed in his life all the positive traits of a sportsman. The memory of ‘the King of Soccer’ remains indelible in the minds of many, and it stimulates new generations to seek in sport a means to strengthen the bonds of unity among us,” the pontiff said in a letter as a local orchestra played.

Further ceremonies were held at the Museu Pelé in Santos, the port city where Pele began his career with Santos FC, and in Tres Coraçµes, Pele’s birthplace. Santos FC held a tribute at its Vila Belmiro Stadium, where one of Pelé’s sons released 10 white balloons from the center circle.

World football governing body FIFA also paid tribute with a video, stating, ‘Pelé’s legacy will always live on.’

Earlier this year, a Brazilian dictionary chose to pay tribute to Pelé by adding his name as an adjective to use when describing someone who is “exceptional, incomparable, unique.” The announcement by the Michaelis dictionary on Wednesday is part of a campaign that gathered more than 125,000 signatures to honor the late soccer great’s impact beyond his sport.

The Michaelis dictionary in Brazil recently added ‘Pelé’ as an adjective meaning ‘exceptional, incomparable, unique,’ honouring the late soccer great’s impact beyond his sport. Pelé’s career spanned nearly two decades, during which he established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of football, alongside the likes of Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.