FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants every country to name a stadium after Pele to honour him

Legendary Brazilian footballer Pele, who brought the game of football to where it is today, left all of us on Friday, 30th December 2022. Over the past month, reports emerged that the veteran was admitted to the hospital and was being given end-of-life care. His battle with cancer ultimately led to his demise today, at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo. 

Pele is regarded as the GOAT “Greatest Of All Time”. His contribution to football is unmatched. He has taught us that football is not only a sport but it is also a way to enjoy art. He put Brazil on the world map and has inspired a whole generation of youth to be football players. He has won the World Cup three times and scored over 1,000 goals in his career.

Read: Records and titles held by Pele: A look back at his legendary career

FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants every country to name a stadium after Pele to honour him

Pele spent almost his entire career with the Brazilian side Santos. His coffin was placed inside the Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos on Monday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was in Sao Paulo, Brazil to attend the funeral of Pele. He told to the reporters, via Independent: “We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele.”

Infantino further said in the statement which was released on the day of Pele’s death: “For everyone who loves the beautiful game, this is the day we never wanted to come. The day we lost Pele.”

“Pele had a magnetic presence and, when you were with him, the rest of the world stopped.”

“His life is about more than football. He changed perceptions for the better in Brazil, in South America and across the world. His legacy is impossible to summarise in words.”

In April 2021, Rio de Janeiro abandoned plans to name the famous Maracana Stadium after Pele. But now, it seems Pele’s name would be written in every country’s stadium.

Read: PELE: The man who stopped a war