The first worldwide symbol of soccer, Pelé, a hero of Brazilian soccer who won three World Cups, has passed away at age 82.
In a message on Instagram, his daughter Kely Nascimento said, "Everything that we are, is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.”
Late in November, Pelé was hospitalized in Sao Paulo with complications from colon cancer and a respiratory infection. His health had gotten worse as his cancer became worse, the hospital reported last week.
The name Pelé has been connected to soccer for more than 60 years. The only player in history to participate in all four World Cups and win three of them, he left a lasting impact that went well beyond his collection of awards and exceptional goal-scoring stats.
Pelé famously stated, "I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint.
Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações – an inland city roughly 155 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro – in 1940, before his family moved to the city of Bauru in São Paulo.
His earliest experience with soccer as a boy consisted of playing barefoot with socks and rags wrapped into a ball; this humble beginning would blossom into a lengthy and successful career.
But when he initially started playing, he had low expectations.
"My dad was a good football player, he scored a lot of goals," Pelé told CNN in 2015. "His name was Dondinho; I wanted to be like him.
"He was famous in Brazil, in Minas Gerais. He was my role model. I always wanted to be like him, but what happened, to this day, only God can explain."
Before turning 16, Pelé left home and started training with Santos as a youngster. He soon scored his first goal for the team.
Over the course of his 638 club appearances, he would score 619 goals, but he is most known for his achievements while wearing Brazil's recognizable yellow shirt.
When Pelé made his World Cup debut at the age of 17 in 1958, the world first caught a peek of his incredible talent.
He scored Brazil's lone goal in the nation's triumph against Wales in the quarterfinals. He then scored a hat-trick against France in the semifinals, two goals against host nation Sweden in the grand finals.