Accra, Dec. 30, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo joined the world to pay tribute to Brazilian football great, Pele, who died last Thursday.
The legendary football icon died at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo due to multiple organ failures because of colon cancer.
He was 82 years.
In a tribute on Friday, President Akufo-Addo said the world had lost a sporting icon and “there will never be another like him.”
“The whole world of sports is poorer today for the loss of one of its greatest figures, certainly its greatest soccer player, with the departure to Heaven of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the iconic, legendary Pele”
“Those of us who had the privilege to witness his incomparable career will cherish forever the memories of skill, talent, determination, and sheer athleticism which we derived from his playing of the game he himself described as ‘the beautiful game,” he wrote.
The President said the “football king,” as Pele was known, “used his towering status to be an advocate for the poor, for children, for young people, for Black people, and to be an inspiration to several generations of footballers.”
“The Ghanaian people, who admired him deeply, join me in expressing our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to his family, the Brazilian people, the Brazilian government, and football and sports lovers the world over.
“There will never be another like him… May his soul rest in perfect peace with the blessings of the Almighty,” the President added.
Pele, originally born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, had been battling kidney and prostrate problems in recent years.
He had surgery to remove a tumour from his colon in September 2021 at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. He was readmitted to the hospital in late November 2022.
Pele scored a world record of 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals in 92 matches for his country.
He was the only player to win the world cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962 and in 1970. FIFA named him the player of the century in 2000.
GNA