President Muhammadu Buhari has joined world leaders to mourn the death of Brazilian soccer legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele.
The Nigerian News reports that the world’s greatest ever football player, who died on Thursday because of cancer, won three World Cups and scored over 1,281 goals, becoming the original football icon in a long career for which he was named the “Player of the Century” in the year 2000.
President Buhari, in a tribute issued on behalf of all Nigerians to the football legend said, “May he rest in peace. He led a good life and made a huge contribution to the development of global football and world sport in general.”
“He had an enormous generosity of spirit and humility despite his greatness as a footballer and sportsman. He also built bridges across nations, races and even religions. He was a UN Ambassador of goodwill. Pele is gone but the world will never forget him.”
