Pele, Football's First Global Star Dies at 82

Pele, a Brazilian soccer star who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died at the age of 82 on Thursday.

Doctors had detected a tumor on his colon in September this year, following which Pele was frequently in and out of the hospital. During his last visit, Pele was also diagnosed with a respiratory infection.

The footballer gained immense fame in the world of football and scored a record 1,281 goals throughout his career.

Pele, whose given name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, scored a world record 1,281 goals, and is the only player ever to win the World Cup three times.

Born on Oct. 23, 1940, in the small Minas Gerais town of Tres Corações, or "Three Hearts", Edson Arantes do Nascimento learned the game from his father, a semi-professional player whose promising career was derailed by a knee injury.

Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva paid tribute to football legend Pele after the country's greatest sporting icon died Thursday at age 82, saying "there was never another number 10 like him."