Carragher's controversial words on Pele's death draw criticism

After the death of the Brazilian star, several messages were published in his honour but the former Liverpool star made a mistake

30/12/2022, 05:12 AM +00:00

The historic Brazilian football player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, died on 29 December at the age of 82 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after battling colon cancer since 2021. His daughter, Kely Nascimento confirmed his death in a message on Instagram along with a photograph showing the footballer's hands with his children.

Pele, considered the greatest footballer in history, had struggled with his health since a tumour in his colon was removed on 4 September 2021. From then on he received chemotherapy sessions in order to keep the disease at bay. However, on 3 November, O'Rei was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo for a re-evaluation of his cancer treatment.

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After several tests, it was revealed on 3 December that the chemotherapy was no longer having the expected results in his fight against colon cancer and that the Brazilian star was only being treated to counteract the pain, as well as difficulty breathing, and died on Thursday 29 December. Pele's health has deteriorated in recent years due to other causes as well. O'Rei suffered from spinal, hip and knee problems, which reduced his mobility.

In the Brazil national team he made history by becoming the only player to win three World Cups, Sweden 1958, Chile 1962 and Mexico 1970, and became O'Rei. In the Sweden 58 final at the age of 17, Pelé was a revelation, scoring a brace to give the South Americans a 5-2 win over the hosts.

Carragher sends condolences

Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher posted a heartfelt message on his Twitter account about Pele's death, which drew criticism: "It's a very sad day for the football world when an icon like Pele passes away. I'll never forget the awe as a child of watching the VHS tape of Brazil 70, the greatest national team anyone has ever seen. RIP to one of the Gods of the game.