President Hage Geingob on Thursday paid tribute to Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known to the world as Pelé following his passing away at the age of 82 years old.
Pelé died on Thursday following a battle with kidney problems and colon cancer at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo.
Geingob wrote on his social media platforms that he met the legend, Pelé, and fellow footballer Eusebio, in 1967 in New York during an exhibition game.
“#Pelé epitomised the uniting force of the beautiful game of soccer. His contributions in bringing people of different races together is a legacy to be cherished across generations,” Geingob said.
He ended his post by writing #RIPPelé G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time).
Chairperson of the FIFA Normalisation Committee at the Namibia Football Association (NFA), Bisey Uirab told Nampa on Friday that Pele’s death is a tragic loss for the football community.
“He is the reason why we all fell in love with football. His death is a serious loss to the beautiful game. His legacy will continue and he will continue to inspire young Africans to try and emulate him,” he said.
Former NFA secretary general Barry Rukoro said the football icon is the man who made football what it is today.
“Everything that the pretenders to the throne of greatness do today, he did it before. He made people fall in love with football. He was the ‘eighth wonder’ of the world. He was the coming together of God and Man,” Rukoro eulogised.
Former Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti told Nampa on Friday that Pelé set the bar, “hence we have Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi”, while current Brave Warriors coach Collin Benjamin said: “Greatest of All Time! The three World Cups say it all!”
The football icon underwent surgery in September 2021, followed by chemotherapy.
Pelé led Brazil to their first-ever World Cup in 1958, before winning it two more times in 1962 and 1970.
His 1 279 goals in 1 363 games, which include friendlies, are recognised as a Guinness World Record.
The Brazilian football great was born on 23 October 1940, at Três Corações, State of Minas Gerais.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
