In their first game since his passing last December, the Brazilian national football team paid tribute to their legendary striker Pelé over the weekend.
When Brazil took on Morocco in a friendly match on Saturday, March 25, at the Stade Ibn Batouta in Tangier, every player on the Brazilian team including the goalkeeper, had the name “PELÉ” printed on the back of their jersey, below their own name and their squad number.
“Pele is the greatest player of all time and deserves to be remembered eternally by CBF. Pelé’s legacy will always be celebrated in my management.”
— Confederação Brasileira de Futebol president Ednaldo Rodrigues (via @cbf_futebol / Instagram)
The Brazilian and Moroccan players also took part in a minute of applause to honour the legendary striker.
Pelé scored 77 goals in 92 appearances with the Brazilian national team, which tied for the most all-time with Neymar Jr. He racked up 12 goals and 10 assists in 14 World Cup appearances, and won the tournament three times (1958, 1962, 1970). He was one of only five players to score in four separate World Cup tournaments.
He passed away on December 29, 2022, after a long battle with colon cancer.
Unfortunately the spirit of Pelé wasn’t with the Brazilians on Saturday, as they lost 2-1 to Morocco.
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