On Thursday, Édson Arantes do Nascimento's heart stood still forever, but Pelé "eterno" lives on forever as a myth from a nostalgic football era. The Brazilian died at the age of 82, his family said. "Everything we are, we are thanks to you. We love you forever. Rest in peace," his daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram.

Pele was hospitalized before Christmas to what his doctors said was a "re-evaluation" of the chemotherapy he's been undergoing since the removal of a colon tumor in September last year. Most recently, he is said to have received palliative care.

"I want people to remember me, not forget me. Just that!" The three-time world champion (1958, 1962 and 1970), who was born in a small village called Tres Coracoes (Three Hearts), has always wished. And contributed a lot to it under his stage name. Youngest goalscorer in a World Cup final when he scored twice against the hosts in Sweden in 1958 aged 17 years and 249 days.

Recorded 1281 goals in 1363 games. Countless titles all over the world with FC Santos, the US championship in 1977 with Cosmos New York - and above all the three World Cup triumphs with the Selecao.

For more than 21 years he laced his football boots until he left on October 1, 1977, making the number 10 shirt world famous - not as a classic playmaker, but rather as a hanging tip according to today's understanding of the game.

In love with dribbling, aiming for goals, shooting with the right or left, with violence or finesse, also floating in the air with a head or an overhead kick.

Pelé stays in touch with fans until the very end. "The difficult thing is not to score a thousand goals like Pele, but just one like Pele," wrote Brazil's poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade in an ode to the model athlete - as a singer, actor, sports minister or entrepreneur, used the fame as a football ambassador and silvered his reputation in advertising campaigns.

"Comfortable, I'm Ronald Reagan, but you don't need to introduce yourself. Every child knows who you are," he was welcomed by the then US President in the White House. One of many anecdotes surrounding the myth.

In early 1969 he is said to have stopped a war somewhere in Africa - some speak of Congo, others of Nigeria - because the hostile camps wanted to see the "Rei" (king) and his Santos followers play. True legends, legendary truths.

Like being sent off with an incredible twist in a July 1968 friendly in Colombia. The 60,000 or so in the stadium in Bogota chanted after their idol and raged wildly. The referee had to sneak away, Pelé triumphantly returned to the pitch. He inherited his talent from his father, Dondinho, and passed it on only tolerably.

Of his seven children, two sons, Edinho (professional goalkeeping and coaching) and Joshua (college soccer in the US) tried their hand at ball, with little success. It was always difficult for Pelé to stay at home for a long time. In recent years, however, the aching body has kept him captive at his beachfront villa in Guaruja, a few minutes' drive from Santos. From there, the FIFA footballer of the century communicated virtually with his loyal fan base via social networks until the end.

When rumors of depression surfaced in early 2020, Pele responded, "I have my good days and I have my bad days. It's normal for people my age." But the operations on the kidney (November 2014), prostate (May 2015), spine (July 2015) and hip (December 2015) and the tumor removed from the intestine in September 2021 left their mark. In the last few days, "O Rei's" condition has been deteriorating. In just a quarter of his life, Pelé created fame for eternity.