‘Before Pele, “10” was just a number. A simple goode to the eternal King will never be enough’: From Neymar to Cr7, football world mourns its icon

Brazillian footballer Pele, only player to win three FIFA World Cup titles, died at 82 after battle with cancer on Friday.
As the world of football tries to grasp with the loss, here is how footballers, clubs and national federations reacted to the development.
“Before Pele, “10” was just a number. I read that phrase somewhere, at some point in my life. But that phrase, beautiful, is incomplete. I’d say before Pele, football was just a sport. Pele changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave voice to the poor, to the blacks and especially: It gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil have elevated their status thanks to the King! He’s gone, but his magic will remain. Pele is ETERNAL!!,” wrote Neymar on Instagram.

Criano Ronaldo paid a heart-warming tribute to Pele following his demise and wrote, “A simple goode to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that hits the entire world of football at this moment. An inspiration for so many millions, a reference of yesterday, today, always. The affection he has always shown for me was reciprocal in every moment we shared, even at dance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will last for ever in each and everyone of us football lovers. Rest in peace, King Pelé,” — the Portuguese star wrote.
“Your place is on God’s side. My eternal king. Rest in peace,” wrote 1970 World Cup winner Roberto Rivellino and teammate of Pele on the Brazilian national team.
“It will be very difficult to find another Pelé. Pelé had everything a player should have. Agile, jumped like no one, could kick with both legs, physically very strong and brave. There was no one like Pelé,” said Cesar Luis Menotti, Argentine coach and Pele teammate in the Santos football club in Brazil.
Here are more reactions –

Que privilégio vir depois de você, meu amigo. Seu talento é uma escola pela qual todo jogador deveria passar. Seu legado transcende gerações. E é assim que seguirá vivo. Hoje e sempre, celebraremos você.
Obrigado, Pelé. Descanse em paz. https://t.co/xslUl3VO5h pic.twitter.com/iUG2Igo4FY
— Ronaldo Nazário (@Ronaldo) December 29, 2022

The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten.RIP KING 💔👑… pic.twitter.com/F55PrcM2Ud
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) December 29, 2022

Eterno. pic.twitter.com/N912VpCmVK
— Santos FC (@SantosFC) December 29, 2022

Forever the King of football, the Legend! 👑 Rest in peace, Pelé. 🙏You have changed the Hory of football. Your legacy will always be in our hearts.Thanks for everything!#ThiagoSilva #TS6 #OhhhThiagoSilva #Pelé #ReiPelé #PeléEterno pic.twitter.com/lobQlPreQg
— Thiago Silva (@tsilva3) December 29, 2022

Su legado será eterno ⚽️
Que en paz descanse, rey.
Mucha fuerza a su familia 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/zdsFgGD72A
— Luis Suárez (@LuisSuarez9) December 29, 2022

Hablar de leyenda o de figura hórica se queda corto. Simplemente, se nos ha ido #ORei. El fútbol te recordará siempre. Descansa en paz, Pelé.To say he was a legend is an understatement. #ORei is gone. Football will always remember you. Rest in peace, Pelé. pic.twitter.com/0Wc0bEjScv
— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) December 29, 2022

Your legacy will always be remembered. Condolences to all your family, RIP O’Rey 🙏🏻❤️⚽️ @Pele https://t.co/u7QmNnNF5s
— Andriy Shevchenko (@jksheva7) December 29, 2022

Your legacy is eternal. Thank you for everything. Vive O Rei 🕊🙏🏼👑 #Pele pic.twitter.com/kJ5QYl6Cpf
— Ivan Rakitic (@ivanrakitic) December 29, 2022

In my formative years, Pelé was my footballing god. So sad. #RIPPelé pic.twitter.com/gDkcCLkyhA
— Jim Beglin (@jimbeglin) December 29, 2022

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pele, an extraordinarily gifted footballer who transcended our sport and inspired millions throughout his remarkable career.
Our thoughts and sincere condolences go to Pele’s family and friends. pic.twitter.com/ocr5KF239t
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 29, 2022

Thanks for everything. 🤍🕊️ #Pele pic.twitter.com/EItF8tGNWN
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 29, 2022
Pele has been praised over the decades everyone from world leaders to arts. Here are superlatives from over the years about Pele –
“To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full.” — Nelson Mandela.
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“I told myself before the game, he’s made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong.” — Italy’s Tarcisio Burgnich, after playing against Pele in the 1970 World Cup Final.
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“Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory: Instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will have 15 centuries.” — Andy Warhol.
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“I sometimes feel as though football was invented for this magical player.” — Sir Bob Charlton, retired England great who won 1966 World Cup and Ballon d’Or in same year.
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“Pelé was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.” — Johan Cruyff, the late Dutch star and standout manager who won the Ballon d’Or three times.
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“He is the most complete player I ever saw.” — Retired German great Franz Beckenbauer.
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“If you take the qualities of Criano Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi, put them together, then you’d have a player to compare to Pelé!” — Retired Brazil forward Tostao.
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“The best player ever? Pelé. (Lionel) Messi and Criano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pelé was better.” — Alfredo Di Stefano, the late Argentine star for Real Madrid.
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“His great secret was improvisation. Those things he did were in one moment. He had an extraordinary perception of the game.” — Brazil defender Carlos Alberto Torres.
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“This debate about the player of the century is absurd. There’s only one possible answer: Pelé. He’s the greatest player of all time, and some dance, I might add.” — Retired Brazil star Zico.
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“The greatest player in hory was Di Stefano. I refuse to classify Pelé as a player. He was above that.” — Hungary star Ferenc Puskas.
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“We went up together to head a ball. I was taller, had a better impulse. When I came back down, I looked up in astonishment. Pelé was still there, in the air, heading that ball. It was like he could stay suspended for as long as he wanted to.” — Italy defender Giacinto Facchetti.
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“When I saw Pelé play, it made me feel I should hang up my boots.” — Just Fontaine, the Morocco-born French star who scored 13 goals in six games in the 1958 World Cup.
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“The moment the ball arrived at Pelé’s feet, football transformed into poetry.” — Italian poet Pier Paolo Pasolini.
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“The difficulty, the extraordinary, is not to score 1,000 goals like Pelé — it’s to score one goal like Pelé.” — Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Brazilian poet.
(With AP inputs)