Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) writes every country in the world to name one of their stadiums after Pelé.
“We’re going to ask every country … to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele.” FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave this assurance on Monday.
It is right to honour “the King of Football” in this way, Infantino said after paying respects in a stadium.
Brazilian football legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly, known as Pelé, passed on 29 December 2022.
Brazil, his native country, declared three days of mourning for the fallen soccer icon, beginning from yesterday, 2 January 2023.
The mourning began with a 24-hour public wake at Santos Urbano Caldeira Stadium in Sao Polo, the capital.
Pelé was arguably the world’s greatest football player by accomplishments, including a record 3-time World Cup win as a player.
He joined Brazil’s winning squad in 1957 as a 16-year old. Incredibly, he won the WC Golden Booth at his first World Cup finals appearance as a 17 year-old.
Pelé scored more than 1,000 goals in his career, a feat only few players managed to attain.
Regrettably, unlike most star Brazilian football players, Pelé never played in Europe.
This was becausr his country’s legislature passed a law making him a national treasure. This law effectively prevented him from travelling out of the country to play for other clubsides.
The law equally made it a crime for clubs outside Brazil to poach the player. Consequently, he never joined any of the elite European clubs that besieged Brazil to sign him on.
Pelé however joined in exhibition matches played all over the world, including Nigeria in 1968.
Football lovers worldwide rate him as the undisputed King of Football and the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T).
Pele, the world soccer icon, died of colon cancer on 29 December 2022 at the age of 82.
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