By Francis Ofori
Accra, Dec. 30, GNA – Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA has described the legacy of late Edson Arantes do Nascimento as the best any player has ever achieved in the world of football.
The Brazilian international, known in the football fraternity as Pele died at the Albert Einstein hospital in Brazil yesterday, having battled with cancer.
A condolence message by the FIFA President said “ For everyone who loves the beautiful game, this is the day we never wanted to come. The day we lost Pelé. ‘O Rei’ was unique in so many ways”.
According to Mr. Infantino, the achievement by the 82-year-old could not be compared to that of any other player, having won the World Cup three times in four appearances and also scoring 1,281 goals in 1,363 games played.
He added that the achievement of the late Edson Arantes do Nascimento was one worth celebrating, having won his first World Cup at age 17, which went into the history books as the youngest player to achieve that height.
“Pelé did things that no other player would even dream of, such as the famous dummy in the 1970 FIFA World Cup semi-final that became known as the Pelé run-around. Or the goal he scored in the 1958 FIFA World Cup final as a 17-year-old when he flicked the ball over a defender and volleyed it into the net.”
The gallant sports personality recalled years back when he was privileged to meet the Brazilian for the first time after being told by his father how Pele changed the world of football with his magical feet.
“To his family and friends, to CBF, to Brazil, and to all football fans who loved him so much, I express my sincere condolences. Today, we all mourn the loss of the physical presence of our dear Pelé, but he achieved immortality a long time ago and therefore he will be with us for eternity,” he added.
Today, Pele is regarded as the World’s Greatest player to have lived on earth, having done exploits with his club and nation.
Great players including Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and some other big names all had little to learn from the football legend before his demise.
GNA