After the death of the iconic Brazilian football player Pele, fans remember his musical career.
Pele — full name Edson Arantes do Nascimento — died yesterday (December 29) at the age of 82 after an illness. In a statement, the Israeli Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said that the athlete died “due to the failure of several organs as a result of the progression of colon cancer associated with his previous clinical condition.”
In addition to football players from all over the world, many representatives of the music and entertainment world also paid tribute to Pele.
Having won three World titles with Brazil and remaining the only player in history to lift the trophy three times, Pele also played guitar and sang, composing original music for the 1977 documentary of the same name about his life.
Later in his life, he released his debut album “Pelé Ginga” in 2006 featuring samba rap star Rappin Hood and Tropicália legends Gilberto Gil and Elis Regina.
Ten years later, he recorded the single “Esperança”, dedicated to the beginning of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2020, Pele teamed up with Rodrigo y Gabriela to release a collaborative track called “Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man)”. The unlikely team led to the Brazilian legend taking on vocal duties rather than the Mexican duo’s masterful guitar playing.
Pele originally wrote the song together with Brazilian musician Ruria Dupra in 2005, but it got a new musical touch after Rodrigo y Gabriela joined us. In a statement made during the release of the new version, the football icon said that he “does not want the public to compare Pele the composer and Pele the footballer.”
Listen to a few musical numbers of the star below.
Pelé, Maradona and guitar #Pelé ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qkVtfnpbN2
— Chiara Zanini (@ChiaraZn) December 29, 2022
Pelé relaxes by the hotel pool with his guitar after the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. pic.twitter.com/SEKmi5BxIJ
— The 1st Half (@The1stHalf_) December 29, 2022
During his football career, Pele scored a world record, scoring 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches, including 77 goals in 92 matches in which he represented Brazil. He is the only player to have won the World Cup three times – in 1958 at the age of 17, and then again in 1962 and 1970 – and was named FIFA Player of the Century in 2000.
Entertainment world stars pay tribute to Pele, and Burna Boy tweeted: “Rest in peace, Pele. A man with a strong legacy who will be remembered FOREVER. Legends never die, they are always remembered in the hearts of people.”
Pele’s daughter Keli Nascimento also posted a photo on Instagram of what looked like Pele’s family’s hands on his body. “Everything we are is thanks to you,” Nascimento wrote in the caption. “We love you endlessly. Rest in peace.”
A message posted on the star’s official social media accounts read: “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who passed away peacefully today. In his journey, Edson charmed the world with his sporting genius, stopped the war, carried out social work around the world and spread what he most considered to be the cure for all our problems: love.”
