Paragraph: on february 6th, brazilian football legend pelé passed away after a long battle with colon cancer. the brazilian government declared three days of national mourning in honor of the football icon, who scored a world record of 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career. he was named fifa’s player of the century in 2000 and was the only player to win the world cup three times. neymar and kylian mbappé have both paid tribute to the great footballer and cultural icon.
Paragraph: landmarks around brazil were lit up in his memory, and fans took to the streets dressed in his iconic number 10 shirt. a wake will be held at the santos football club on monday, pelé’s home stadium for many years. a public procession and private burial will take place the next day. an exhibition at são paulo’s museum of football has put on display the football shirt he wore in 1970 when he scored the first goal against italy and brazil ultimately won. supporters had already started gathering outside são paulo’s albert einstein hospital, as news of pele’s death spread.
Paragraph: pelé rose to the status of national treasure in brazil despite the country’s deep history of slavery and legacy of segregation. he regularly encountered monkey chants on the pitch and was called several racist nicknames. he was a key figure in creating space and recognition for black people in brazilian football. the same weekend was expected to mark the return of luiz inácio lula da silva to the presidency. his death was a great loss to the people of brazil, who had looked to him for hope and inspiration.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-64125254?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
