Brazil’s president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has expressed his condolences for the death of former soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, and stressed that few Brazilians have carried the country’s name as far as he did.
In a compilation of up to four posts on his official Twitter profile, Lula expressed his gratitude for having had the opportunity to have seen Pelé play live, who in his soccer matches «gave the show».
«Because when he got the ball he always did something special, which often ended in a goal,» said Lula, who also recalled with nostalgia that at some point he was angry with him because he always «crushed» Corinthians, the team of which the Brazilian politician is a fan.
«But, above all, he admired him. And the anger soon gave way to passion when I saw him play with the number 10 jersey of the Brazilian national team,» said a nostalgic Lula, grateful for Pelé’s work to spread the name of Brazil and its language to «the four corners of the planet».
For her part, the former president of Brazil between 2011 and 2016, Dilma Rousseff, thanked the legendary footballer for the «smiles», the «tears of emotion» and the «goal shouts» that he provoked in the Brazilian population.
«Thank you for the joys you gave to the Brazilian people and to the people of the world. No one was ever such a beloved king,» Rousseff said on her social networks in allusion to ‘O Rei’, the nickname by which Pelé was known.
From Argentina, a neighboring country with which Brazil has a historic sporting rivalry, especially in soccer, President Alberto Fernandez has paid tribute to «one of the best footballers in history».
«We will always remember those years where Pelé dazzled the world with his skills. A big hug to his family and to the people of Brazil, who will carry him in their hearts,» said Fernandez on his official Twitter profile.
Pele, considered one of the best in the history of the sport, died Thursday at the age of 82 after suffering health problems since late November, according to Brazilian media and later confirmed by his family.
The former striker, three-time world champion with the ‘Canarinha’, had been admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in the city of Sao Paulo since November 29 and his health condition worsened as the days went by, despite the fact that both he and his family tried to send reassuring messages.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
