Brazilian football icon Pele’s death triggered a wave of tributes from the sports world and beyond. Football stars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were among those who led tributes to the legend. Pele died on Thursday at the age of 82.
Argentina's FIFA World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi wrote on Instagram, “Descansa en paz (Rest in peace). He also shared a photo of him with Pele.
His death after a long battle with cancer was caused by "multiple organ failure," the Albert Einstein hospital in Brazil’s Sao Paulo said in a statement, confirming the news from the legend's family.
In a moving tribute, Brazil forward Neymar hailed Pele, the only man to win three World Cups, in a social media post alongside two pictures of himself with the legend.
"Before Pele, '10' was just a number," the heir to Pele's famed shirt number wrote on Instagram.
"But that beautiful sentence is incomplete. I would say that before Pele, football was just a sport.
"He transformed football into an art, into entertainment... Football and Brazil gained status thanks to the King. He has gone, but his magic will remain. Pele is eternal,” Neymar said.
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