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Brazilian’s have paid tribute to football icon Pele on the one year anniversary of his death.
Pele died in December 2022 at the age of 82 at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo, after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.
Brazilian’s have decided to commemorate Pele’s passing by projecting a Brazilian shirt on Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the redeemer statue.
The projection of a Brazil shirt with Pele’s name, signature and number 10 was seen during a ceremony on Friday afternoon.
The ceremony also featured a message from Pope Francis in remembrance of the three-time World Cup winner, who was a devout Catholic.
Brazilian’s have paid tribute to football icon Pele on the one year anniversary of his death
![Pele - widely considered one of the greatest players of all time - passed away at the age of 82](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/30/10/65829193-12912123-Pele_widely_considered_one_of_the_greatest_players_of_all_time_p-a-30_1703931283107.jpg)
Pele – widely considered one of the greatest players of all time – passed away at the age of 82
![Brazilian's have decided to commemorate Pele's passing by projecting a Brazilian shirt on Rio de Janeiro's Christ the redeemer statue](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/30/10/79458465-12912123-image-a-19_1703931185920.jpg)
Brazilian’s have decided to commemorate Pele’s passing by projecting a Brazilian shirt on Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the redeemer statue
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The Pope’s message read: ‘Pele, as Mr Edson Arantes do Nascimento became globally known, was undoubtedly an athlete who showed in his life all positive traits of a sportsman.
‘The memory of ‘the King of Soccer’ remains indelible in the minds of many, and it stimulates new generations to seek in sport a means to strengthen the bonds of unity among us.’
Pele has gone down in history as one of the greatest footballers to have graced the planet. In his playing career, he scored 1,282 goals in 1,366 games, which included 77 in 92 appearances for his country.
Johan Cruyff said Pele ‘was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic’, while German legend Franz Beckenbauer Pele ‘is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20 years. There’s no one to compare with him’.
Former Hungarian international Ferenc Puskas said: ‘The greatest player in history was (Alfredo) Di Stefano. I refuse to classify Pele as a player. He was above that.’
Pele is also famed for his sportsmanship, with his warm embrace of England captain Bobby Moore following their titanic battle at the 1970 World Cup one of the defining images of his career.
Moore once said of him: ‘Pele was the most complete player I’ve ever seen, he had everything. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Quick. Powerful. Could beat people with skill. Could outrun people.
‘Only five feet and eight inches tall, yet he seemed a giant of an athlete on the pitch. Perfect balance and impossible vision. He was the greatest because he could do anything and everything on a football pitch.’
![Pele (pictured above) is regarded as football's greatest icon](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/30/10/48071195-12912123-Pele_is_football_s_greatest_icon-a-31_1703931291753.jpg)
![He was a phenomenon who started his career aged just 15 at Santos in Brazil](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/12/30/10/48071391-12912123-He_was_a_phenomenon_who_started_his_career_aged_just_15_at_Santo-a-32_1703931291756.jpg)
Pele is football’s greatest icon, a phenomenon who started his career aged just 15 at Santos (R)
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