adminTHE Brazilian media paid a heartfelt tribute to the country’s greatest footballing hero, Pele, after his death at the age of 82.
On Thursday, the sporting icon passed away after a long battle with cancer, surrounded by his family in a Sao Paulo hospital.
Three days of mourning have been declared in Brazil as tributes pour in from around the world.
The front pages of the Brazilian press were adorned with tributes, Informacao Extra using a picture of Pele with a crown and sceptre.
O Dia showed him in his Santos days and also honoured Pele as the ‘king’, writing “Forever, King Pele”.
Correio Braziliense placed a silhouette of Pele’s face on their front page, with his signature and the word “eternal” to mark that his legacy cannot die.
Local newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo led on a column which described the legend as “the sum of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi”. A cartoon in Globo eSporte showed Pele with the infinity sign on the back of his shirt.
The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro was lit up in Brazilian colours, along with Wembley Stadium, to honour his life.
European newspapers also paid tribute to Pele with Spain’s Marca writing “never before were four letters so big”.
French outlet L’Equipe changed its colours to yellow and green with the phrase “he was a king” on their front page.
In England, The Sun declared Pele “the king of football” with the Mirror’s front page reading: “The greatest.” – Evening Standard
Online Reporter