Pele has died aged 82

Footballing legend Pele has died at the age of 82.

The Brazil icon had a tumour removed from his colon in September 2021 and was undergoing treatment for bowel cancer.

Pele was re-admitted to hospital in November after developing swelling all over his body, in addition to 'decompensated heart failure' and mental confusion.

At the beginning of the month, the former Santos star had put out a statement saying that he was feeling 'strong and hopeful'

However, he remained in the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo over Christmas, with his family sharing emotional photos alongside him.

His agent, Joe Fraga, confirmed the Brazilian's passing on Thursday afternoon in Brazil.

A statement on his official Twitter account read, "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today.

"Love, love and love, forever."

The former striker is the only player to have won the World Cup three times, first lifting it with his national team in 1958 aged just 17-years-old, scoring six times in the tournament, including twice in the final.

Brazil then retained the title four years later, something that hasn't been done since, and won it again in 1970, with arguably one of the greatest teams of all time, where he once again scored in the final.

He scored 77 times in 92 appearances for his country, and was also awarded the Golden Ball at the tournament in 1970, for the competition's best player.

During his career, the Ballon d'Or was only awarded to players in Europe, and he only played in Brazil and America, meaning he wasn't eligible.

France Football have since said that Pele is a seven time Ballon d'Or winner and officially recognise his wins, meaning he is level with Lionel Messi as the player with the most titles.

Pele is considered one of the all-time greats. Image: Alamy

Born in Sao Paulo, the striker played for hometown club Santos from 1956 to 1974, helping them win six league titles and two Copa Libertadores.

His goal record remains contentious to this day, due to the fact that his goals in 'friendlies' are often included, due to the nature of teams touring South America at the time.

He is said to have scored 775 goals in 840 official matches but some stats have it as 1,281 goals in 1,363 games.

The striker left Brazil for the USA in 1975, playing for New York Cosmos for three years, scoring 66 times in 107 games.

Pele is survived by his wife Marcia Aoki and six children.

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