‘Before Pele, “10” was just a number. A simple goodbye to the eternal King will never be enough’: From Neymar to Cr7, soccer world mourns its icon

Brazillian footballer Pele, solely participant to win three FIFA World Cup titles, died at 82 after battle with most cancers on Friday.

As the world of soccer tries to know with the loss, right here is how footballers, golf equipment and nationwide federations reacted to the event.

“Before Pele, “10” was only a quantity. I learn that phrase someplace, in some unspecified time in the future in my life. But that phrase, lovely, is incomplete. I’d say earlier than Pele, soccer was only a sport. Pele modified the whole lot. He turned soccer into artwork, into leisure. He gave voice to the poor, to the blacks and particularly: It gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have elevated their standing due to the King! He’s gone, however his magic will stay. Pele is ETERNAL!!,” wrote Neymar on Instagram.

Cristiano Ronaldo paid a heart-warming tribute to Pele following his demise and wrote, “A simple goodbye to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that hits the entire world of football at this moment. An inspiration for so many millions, a reference of yesterday, today, always. The affection he has always shown for me was reciprocal in every moment we shared, even at distance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will last for ever in each and everyone of us football lovers. Rest in peace, King Pelé,” — the Portuguese star wrote.

“Your place is on God’s side. My eternal king. Rest in peace,” wrote 1970 World Cup winner Roberto Rivellino and teammate of Pele on the Brazilian nationwide staff.

“It will be very difficult to find another Pelé. Pelé had everything a player should have. Agile, jumped like no one, could kick with both legs, physically very strong and brave. There was no one like Pelé,” mentioned Cesar Luis Menotti, Argentine coach and Pele teammate within the Santos soccer membership in Brazil.

Here are extra reactions –

Que privilégio vir depois de você, meu amigo. Seu talento é uma escola pela qual todo jogador deveria passar. Seu legado transcende gerações. E é assim que seguirá vivo. Hoje e sempre, celebraremos você.

Obrigado, Pelé. Descanse em paz. https://t.co/xslUl3VO5h pic.twitter.com/iUG2Igo4FY

— Ronaldo Nazário (@Ronaldo) December 29, 2022

The king of soccer has left us however his legacy won’t ever be forgotten.
RIP KING 💔👑… pic.twitter.com/F55PrcM2Ud

— Kylian Mbappé (@OkMbappe) December 29, 2022

Eterno. pic.twitter.com/N912VpCmVK

— Santos FC (@SantosFC) December 29, 2022

Forever the King of soccer, the Legend! 👑 Rest in peace, Pelé. 🙏
You have modified the History of soccer. Your legacy will all the time be in our hearts.
Thanks for the whole lot!#ThiagoSilva #TS6 #OhhhThiagoSilva #Pelé #ReiPelé #PeléEterno pic.twitter.com/lobQlPreQg

— Thiago Silva (@tsilva3) December 29, 2022

Su legado será eterno ⚽️

Que en paz descanse, rey.

Mucha fuerza a su familia 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/zdsFgGD72A

— Luis Suárez (@LuisSuarez9) December 29, 2022

Hablar de leyenda o de figura histórica se queda corto. Simplemente, se nos ha ido #ORei. El fútbol te recordará siempre. Descansa en paz, Pelé.
To say he was a legend is an understatement. #ORei is gone. Football will all the time keep in mind you. Rest in peace, Pelé. pic.twitter.com/0Wc0bEjScv

— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) December 29, 2022

Your legacy will all the time be remembered. Condolences to all your loved ones, RIP O’Rey 🙏🏻❤️⚽️ @Pele https://t.co/u7QmNnNF5s

— Andriy Shevchenko (@jksheva7) December 29, 2022

Your legacy is everlasting. Thank you for the whole lot. Vive O Rei 🕊🙏🏼👑 #Pele pic.twitter.com/kJ5QYl6Cpf

— Ivan Rakitic (@ivanrakitic) December 29, 2022

In my early life, Pelé was my footballing god. So unhappy. #RIPPelé pic.twitter.com/gDkcCLkyhA

— Jim Beglin (@jimbeglin) December 29, 2022

We are deeply saddened to listen to of the passing of Pele, an awfully gifted footballer who transcended our sport and impressed tens of millions all through his outstanding profession.

Our ideas and honest condolences go to Pele’s household and pals. pic.twitter.com/ocr5KF239t

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 29, 2022

Thanks for the whole lot. 🤍🕊️ #Pele pic.twitter.com/EItF8tGNWN

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 29, 2022

Pele has been praised over the a long time by everybody from world leaders to artists. Here are superlatives from over time about Pele –

“To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full.” — Nelson Mandela.

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“I told myself before the game, he’s made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong.” — Italy’s Tarcisio Burgnich, after enjoying towards Pele within the 1970 World Cup Final.

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“Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory: Instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will have 15 centuries.” — Andy Warhol.

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“I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player.” — Sir Bobby Charlton, retired England nice who received 1966 World Cup and Ballon d’Or in identical 12 months.

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“Pelé was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.” — Johan Cruyff, the late Dutch star and standout supervisor who received the Ballon d’Or thrice.

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“He is the most complete player I ever saw.” — Retired German nice Franz Beckenbauer.

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“If you take the qualities of Cristiano Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi, put them together, then you’d have a player to compare to Pelé!” — Retired Brazil ahead Tostao.

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“The best player ever? Pelé. (Lionel) Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pelé was better.” — Alfredo Di Stefano, the late Argentine star for Real Madrid.

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“His great secret was improvisation. Those things he did were in one moment. He had an extraordinary perception of the game.” — Brazil defender Carlos Alberto Torres.

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“This debate about the player of the century is absurd. There’s only one possible answer: Pelé. He’s the greatest player of all time, and by some distance, I might add.” — Retired Brazil star Zico.

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“The greatest player in history was Di Stefano. I refuse to classify Pelé as a player. He was above that.” — Hungary star Ferenc Puskas.

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“We went up together to head a ball. I was taller, had a better impulse. When I came back down, I looked up in astonishment. Pelé was still there, in the air, heading that ball. It was like he could stay suspended for as long as he wanted to.” — Italy defender Giacinto Facchetti.

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“When I saw Pelé play, it made me feel I should hang up my boots.” — Just Fontaine, the Morocco-born French star who scored 13 targets in six video games within the 1958 World Cup.

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“The moment the ball arrived at Pelé’s feet, football transformed into poetry.” — Italian poet Pier Paolo Pasolini.

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“The difficulty, the extraordinary, is not to score 1,000 goals like Pelé — it’s to score one goal like Pelé.” — Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Brazilian poet.

(With AP inputs)