“Goodbye to the Eternal King”: Cristiano Ronaldo Joins Usain Bolt, David Beckham, and the Soccer World in Mourning the Saddening Loss of GOAT Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento or ‘Pelé’, as the world popularly knew him, passed away at age 82. In doing so, he brought the soccer community and the world at large, to a standstill. Pelé’s contribution to this beloved game cannot be expressed in any number of words, so suffice it to say he is the sport’s first global icon and people simply refer to him as ‘O Rei’ (The King). This morning, as tributes continue to flow in for the great man, several sportspersons have joined in the noble act on social media. Here are three of the sporting icons, legends in their own field, who have joined the larger community to pay the King their respects. Let’s find out more.

On 29th December 2022, when news broke of Pelé’s demise, tributes and respects were quick to pour in. However, it took some time for the news to reach the world at large, and ever since that it has been a deluge of farewells and tributes. The sporting community especially shared the bulk of those tributes and the latest to join the list were icons like Usain Bolt, David Beckham, and Christiano Ronaldo.

Tributes pour in from all corners for the legendary Pelé, including the likes of Ronaldo, Bolt, and Beckham

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the modern-day greats, wrote a long and heartfelt caption in their shared mother tongue Portuguese. Translated, his line read, “A mere “goodbye” to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing”.

Bolt, the fastest man on the planet, also wrote on his Instagram page, “A Sporting Legend. Rest in Peace King Pele”, with an image of the two of them smiling. They met at a boutique opening on Hublot’s 5th Avenue in New York. Pelé, who at age 17 became the youngest to win a FIFA World Cup at the 1958 Sweden edition, became a revered figure in Brazil not quite dissimilar to what Bolt became in sprinting for Jamaica.

The tributes didn’t end there, as David Beckham too took to Instagram to show his respect to the ‘O Rei’. The Englishman wrote, “It was HIS beautiful game (football emoji) Obrigado e adeus (Brazil flag) descanso em Paz meu amigo @pele”. It was shared with an image of the two of them with a football in between them. The last line read ‘Thank you and goodbye. Rest in Peace, my friend.’

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Pelé had been suffering from colon cancer since last year and had been undergoing treatment. After his condition became worse last month, he was admitted to the Israelita Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paolo, where he passed away. Pelé’s daughter Kelly Nascimento also wrote on her Instagram, “Everything that we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in Peace.”

The impact of Pelé and his most deserving tag of GOAT

Besides representing his national team Brazil, Pelé also represented the clubs of Santos and New York Cosmos. They too paid their due respects to the legend. It was in 2020 when the soccer world and entire Latin America mourned the loss of another great, Diego Maradona. Pelé’s heartfelt tweet to his dear friend then, is spreading across social media like wildfire again. He had written, “One day, I hope we can play ball together in heaven”.

While the debate for “GOAT of Soccer” may rage on forever, and while opinions might vary from Maradona to Socrates to modern-day greats like Messi and Ronaldo, no one can deny the impact and contribution Pelé made to this beautiful game and his country Brazil.

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One may choose their favorites, but with three World Cups to his name and youngest to conquer the World, Pelé has undeniably earned the title of GOAT. Who do you think is your GOAT of Soccer and what moment do you think was the most special in Pelé’s playing career? Let us know.