We have breaking news and sad
news, soccer legend pele has
died at the age of 82.
That is according to a statement
released now by his family.
They added everything that we
are is always thanks to you.
We love you infinity.
Rest in peace.
The Brazilian star's health had
been deteriorated the recent
days as he continued his battle
with cancer.
Don Riddell has more on Pelle's
life. >> Reporter: When the world
knows you with one name you have
truly succeeds.
His humble demeanor and generous
spirit has guaranteed his legacy
as a global icon.
>> You know, I feel very
comfortable because something I
cannot answer, was why god gave
me this, you know, this gift.
This was a gift from god.
Then I tried to be in my best.
To respect people.
I tried to prepare myself.
Tried to deal with good shape,
you know.
The most important respect to
people.
>> Reporter: Raised in the
columns of Sao Paulo in the
1940s, he discovered football at
a young age.
He made his debut at the age of
16. Within a year, he was scoring
goals for the Brazilian national
team. By this time, he was better
known by his nickname pele, in
1958, at 17, he became the
youngest man to play in a world
cup final, scoring twice as
Brazil beat Sweden.
It was the first of three world
titles he'd help win for his
country.
He electrified audiences with
his fancy footwork and ability
to score seemingly and plausible
goals.
It was somewhat of a
disappointment that his 1,000th
goal was a penalty.
>> And a comic guy in Brazil, he
say, listen, god has brought the
game because everyone has to see
your 1,000th goal.
That's the reason why the
penalty kick.
>> Reporter: After his goal, the
game was stopped several minutes
to celebrate his landmark
achievement.
In 1967, pele learned that he
and his team had the power to
stop other things, too.
When they visited Nigeria
prompted warring factions to
call a 48-hour cease-fire in the
war. >> They stopped the war because
people are so crazy about
football.
They loved football.
They stopped the war to see the
ball played in Africa.
Something you cannot explain.
>> Reporter: By the time pele
returns as a footballer playing
for the cosmos, he amassed 2,281
goals.
For pele, that was a lifetime
ago.
He served as a U.N. Ambassador
for ecology and the environment.
He rubbed shoulders with state
leaders all over the world.
And he received an honorary
knighthood from queen Elizabeth
in 1987.
But who could forget his
appearance in the movie "Escape
to victory."
>> After scoring a goal, I do
this, this, this, this -- easy.
>> Reporter: When he starred
alongside Michael Caine and
Sylvester Stallone playing a
prisoner of war who scored a
spectacular morale-boosting goal
against the Germans.
>> First of all, it's a gift
from god.
Second, it was a lot of work,
had work and training.
And I happened to say thanks to
god because my father was a
football player.
A center forward.
And then my father was a very
known perfectionist.
You know, ever since who I used
to do, or tried to do, he used
to say, listen, you must.
>> Reporter: Who else always
been a global icon, but in his
native Brazil, he'll always be
regarded as a national treasure.
His passing is cause for
national mourning and as he so
humorously put it himself, there
will never be another pele.
>> To do that again would be
very difficult, because my
mother and father.
>> What an incredible life,
player and person that was CNN's
don Riddell.
Joining us now on the phone is
Chris Whittingham, soccer
analyst and commentator.
First, to you about the impact
of pele.
Everyone knows his name, even if
you're not a sports fan, he is
an icon in his own right.
>> No question, I think when you
look at the history of the sport
in this country, you look at for
example, in the United States,
he comes to play for the
New York cosmos in the mid1970s.
As a result, his name almost
becomes synonymous with the
sport because it was not
terribly popular for several
years. If you said the word "Soccer" or
the word football, you would say
pele and say it in a variety of
ways, pele, pele, you would know
the notoriety in the name.
He comes up from many
generations of Americans, and
obviously, the world over is
known as being someone so
influential in the sport,
championed the sport in Brazil
and around the world.
A three-time world cup winner
remains -- we just celebrated
Lionel Messi for celebrating
one.
Pele got left behind, he did it
three, just because he did it in
black and white television,
because he's not done it in this
game. >> I was going to ask you about
the comparisons.
1281 goals in his lifetime.
You talked about him winning
three world cups.
One of the stories that I had
heard about him and always
struck me was during 1967, there
were factions that were fighting
a civil war in Nigeria.
And this is the power of pele.
They agreed, two sides fighting,
agreed to a cease-fire so he
could play an exhibition match
in Nigeria.
It just goes to show you the
power that this man had to
almost bring people together.
He literally stopped the
fighting so that he could just
come and play and give people
relief.
Do you have any stories that you
particularly like to remember
about pele?
>> Yeah, for me, I think it's
just sort of his impact on the
sport in the United States.
I don't think it can be
understated.
You talk to people who agnostic
to soccer, in the United States.
And even they, for a brief
moment in time, in the mid1970s,
when he played for the New York
cosmos.
And like you say, it's just his
ability to present that impact
almost no matter where he is.
Because it's very easy to
suggest global celebrity now,
right, we have social media and
we have all of these abilities
to sort of translate celebrity.
But I think when you look at
where the globe was back then,
he wins a world cup in 1958 and
again in 1962, in 1958, arrived
to the Brazil quad as a
17-year-old.
And lit up that world cup and
scored a goal in the final
against Sweden.
And he from there becomes this
one word that is synonymous with
sport.
And like you say, almost with
diplomacy in a weird way.
He can go any single place in
the world and stop traffic.
And stop what was going on.
I remember growing up and
hearing this man's name and it
was like -- it was vaunted.
It was laudable.
It was something that was
synonymous with something that
we can't even access, because it
came from a different time.
And, yeah, to me, the way he
came to the United States and
changed the way that Americans
viewed soccer was just sort of
incredible.
I think laid the groundwork with
what we see with major league
soccer, I think when a lot of
big soccer stars head lined by
pele came over was a huge part
of it. >> He was a beautiful player in
a beautiful game but also a
beautiful spirit.
He did a lot after soccer.
And the one thing I think we all
remember, anyone who has seen
video of pele playing or got to
see him in person, it is that
famous bicycle kick.
He made that famous.
And you now see players doing it
as well.
But incredible athlete and
person.
And I do just want to end here
with what his name really is.
People call him pele, but
actually his official name is