10 was just a number before Pele: Neymar

 

For half a century, Pele was known only to those who knew the name of a football player.

Pele was best remembered for a life beyond the field, transcending the game of football and becoming perhaps the most famous man on Earth.

"Before Pele, '10' was just a number," wrote current Brazil forward Neymar following the soccer great's death at the age of 82 on Thursday. "That line, beautiful, is incomplete. I would say that before Pele, football was just a game. Pele changed everything. He turned soccer into art, entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, the blacks, and above all, he helped Brazil." Football and Brazil raise their standings thanks to King! He's gone, but his magic will live on."

Pelé scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup appearances and is a three-time world champion, winning the title in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

"Today Brazil says goodbye to one of its most wonderful children," wrote 1994 World Cup champion Romário, using Pele's full name in his post. "Edson Arantes do Nascimento made the world bow before his genius and raised Brazilian football to the altar of the gods. Throughout his life, Pele inspired generations of athletes and deserves every respect."

Ronaldo, who led Brazil to a fifth World Cup title in 2002, described Pele as "unique". Talented. Welfare. creative. Excellent. peerless."

"What a privilege to come after you, my friend," Ronaldo wrote. "Your talent is a school through which every player must go. Your legacy transcends generations. And so you will live on."

Pele was a revered sports figure who could not be compared to any other athlete other than Muhammad Ali. Mingling comfortably with heads of state and celebrities as he evaded guards, Pelé made an impact in continental capitals.

Former US President Barack Obama wrote, "As one of the most recognized athletes in the world, he understood the power of sport to bring people together."

President Joe Biden tweeted: "For a sport that brings the world together like no other, Pele's rise from humble beginnings to soccer legend is a story that is possible."

Pelé's greatest influence was in Brazil, a unifying figure celebrated during the 2014 World Cup.

Former Brazilian president and current president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote, "I saw Pelé play live in Pacambu and Morumbi (stadiums)." He always did something special, which often ended in a goal. ... Some Brazilians took the name of our country as far as they did. With Portuguese as its own language, foreigners from all four corners of the planet soon found a way to pronounce the magic word: 'Pele.'"

For half a century, Pele was known only to those who knew the name of a football player.

"He made people dream and continues to do so with generations and generations of lovers of our sport," France coach Didier Deschamps said in a statement. Combination of beauty and efficiency. His list of talents and his achievements will be etched in our minds forever."

France soccer star Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the final defeat to Argentina this month to equalize Pele's sixth career World Cup goal. Four years earlier, Embape became only the second teenager after Pelé to score in a World Cup final.

Mbappe wrote, "The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten."

When Pele's condition worsened last month during the World Cup in Qatar, Get Well messages appeared on the sides of buildings in Doha. The English Football Association painted Wembley Stadium in the colors of Brazil on Wednesday night. Football's governing body FIFA changed the homepage of its website to images of Pele with a black background.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote, "Pele did things that no other player would have even dreamed of." Because televised football was still in its infancy at the time, we only saw small glimpses of what he was capable of.

When Pelé played for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League from 1975–77, he helped usher in the rise of soccer in the United States, leading the country to host the World Cup in 1994.

US Former soccer federation president and FIFA council member Sunil Gulati said, "Pele was a truly remarkable man."