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Manchester United past and present react to Pelé death
On Thursday, the footballing world lost its biggest ambassador and arguably greatest player the game has seen as Pelé passed away at 82.
His impact on the sport is evident as an outpouring of affection and admiration followed his death and United and those associated with the club were just a few of millions who wanted to pay their respects.
Pelé scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances in his career where he spent the majority of his time in his homeland Brazil playing for the domestic giants Santos.
However, in 1968 Sir Matt Busby tried to bring O Rei (The King) to Old Trafford where the Brazilian icon would have joined the famous front three of George Best, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton.
This formidable four would have made Real Madrid’s Galácticos and PSG’s current attack be embarrassed to call themselves superpowers but the iconic no.10 stayed loyal to his hometown club.
Two of his potential United teammates, Charlton and Law, expressed their joy in watching the great man go about his work.
Charlton said: “Pelé was a truly magical footballer and a wonderful human being. It was an honour to have shared a pitch with him and I send my sincerest condolences to his family, friends and the Brazilian people.”
Denis Law went on to add: “This is very sad news indeed. Pelé was an unbelievable footballer; he had style, grace, flair and made everything look so easy. The precision in the way he played made him such a joy to watch. However, more than anything, he was a good man with a great presence and a fantastic smile.”
Pelé’s samba-like football, alluded to by Law, has inspired a nation to produce generations of footballers and United’s current contingent of Brazilian players have shared on social media what this legend meant to them.
Casemiro, who was outstanding against Nottingham Forest in United’s return to Premier League action on Tuesday, mentioned the effect that Pelé had on his country:
Fred, who scored the team’s third against Forest, believes that Pelé’s greatness transcends football:
Antony shares a similar response to his two teammates, saying:
Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire echoed the same sentiment with references to his nickname ‘The King’, his historic three World Cup wins and his impact on people’s lives as a role model.
Manchester United King, Eric Cantona, posted on Instagram a picture of the two with the caption “RIP O REi PELÉ” which translates to “RIP THE KING PELE”.
The Frenchman’s comment section is littered with crown emojis and fans saying they see two Kings as Cantona joined an ever-growing list of ex-players who wanted to share their condolences.
Football has lost its most famous champion and, just like Brazil, will mourn his death. One thing his passing shows is the international interconnectivity that the sport holds as every corner of the world has been deeply affected by this loss.
Perhaps many United fans will be thinking about what it would’ve been like if Pelé turned ‘United’s Trinity’ into a ‘Fantastic Four’ but that will forever be a “what if?”
He did quite alright without Manchester United on his CV anyway.
Rest In Peace Pelé, thank you for everything.
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