Pele dies: Brazil and Santos issue powerful tributes on social media

Santos and the Brazil national side both paid brief but fitting tributes on social media following the announcement of the death of Pele at the age of 82.

The Selecao great and three-time World Cup winner had been in hospital for palliative care in early December after his body stopped responding to cancer treatment, and his daughter confirmed his death on Thursday.

News of Pele’s passing sent shock waves across the world of football, but nowhere would the impact be felt stronger than at Santos – a club where he spent 18 years, scoring 643 goals in 659 matches.

Pele lifted six league titles with the Brazilian side, including five in a row from 1961-1968, as well as the Copa Libertadores twice.

Eterno. pic.twitter.com/N912VpCmVK

— Santos FC (@SantosFC) December 29, 2022

On the international stage, Pele scored 77 goals for Brazil, a record that still stands today but is likely to eventually be broken by Neymar, who pulled level at the World Cup in Qatar.

In a short but powerful tribute to the man many regard to be the greatest ever, Santos posted a picture of a crown with just a single word ‘eterno’ – eternal.

The CBF’s Twitter account followed suit, sharing an image of Pele alongside the caption of ‘eterno’ but adding an infinity symbol instead of 2022 as the year of his death.

REI PELÉ pic.twitter.com/epP8zZHRYr

— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) December 29, 2022