FOOTBALL fans around the world are in mourning following the passing of Pele.
The Brazil legend had been battling cancer for over a year and his condition deteriorated at the end of November before his passing on Thursday night.
But now tributes for the three-time World Cup winner are in full flow after his glittering life and career.
Pele first burst on the scene in the 1950s and capped off his incredible rise to stardom by winning the 1958 World Cup with Brazil.
But before that, Pele had already made somewhat of a name for himself at club level.
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Who did Pele play for?
Pele began his senior career in 1956, just 18 months before the 1958 World Cup.
He joined Santos and progessively worked his way up into a starting position before being called up to the Brazil squad for the World Cup in Sweden.
Pele stayerd with Santos for 18 years, finally leaving them in 1974 to finish his career in the US.
The Brazilian legend joined New York Cosmos, where he spent two seasons and scored 37 league goals in 64 games.
After his success with Brazil in 1958, Pele went on to win the 1962 World Cup in Chile and the 1970 tournament in Mexico.
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Pele’s goalscoring record is reported by FIFA as 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, a record which stands until this day.
For Brazil, Pele scored 77 goals in 92 games and is their joint-top scorer with Neymar.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
