In Brazil, where divisions after an acrimonious presidential election in October still linger, bitter political rivals were united in grief. As the world reacted to the death of the soccer giant, Pelé was a singular, transformative figure.
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — In the more than six decades since he first lifted Brazil’s national team to World Cup glory on the soccer pitch, crafting the enduring image of the “beautiful game” style of Brazilian soccer and catapulting to global sports superstardom, fans and analysts have searched far and wide for “the next Pelé.
“Every Brazilian feels sad today,” Antonio Ferreira said at a bus station in São Paulo. “It doesn’t matter the team you support. Pelé was the biggest player we have.”Neighboring Argentina, a bitter footballing rival, also mourned. FIFA in 2000 voted Pelé and Argentine soccer icon Diego Maradona as the greatest players in the sport’s history. Argentine President Alberto Fernández offered a “great embrace” to his family and the people of Brazil.
His rise was meteoric. At his first World Cup, he scored three goals in the semifinal over France and two more in the 5-2 final over host Sweden. The Brazilian government declared him a national treasure to prevent him from ditching his Brazilian club, Santos, for a deeper-pocketed European side.
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