[The Fountain] The last message from the king of soccer

“Love, love, love, forever” was the last message from the hero who dominated the world of football and tried to make the world a brighter place.

SONG JI-HOONThe author is the deputy sports news editor at the JoongAng Ilbo. “Success is not determined by how many times you have won. It’s more important how you play the week after you lose.”

Pelé, the football King, passed away at age 82 on Dec. 29. Football fans around the world continue to cherish his memory. The memorial event was held at the Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos — the Brazilian port city and his hometown — on Jan. 4. It was attended by 230,000 people, including Brazilian President Lula and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The media reported that the procession of mourners lined up for 2-3 kilometers (1.2-1.9 miles) from early morning to late night. All of Brazil was full of photos, paintings and signs of Pele’s face, name and his jersey number, 10.

Pelé scored 1,283 goals in his career and won three World Cups. He was named the best athlete of the 20th century by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999 and the best football player of the 20th century by FIFA in 2000.

His glorious achievements, records and awards alone cannot explain his life. Above all, Pelé changed football culture. He is the first to attempt an overhead kick and the first to make his jersey number 10 the symbol of an ace. Because defenders had marked Pelé intensively, yellow cards and red cards were first introduced in the game of football to protect him.

Off the ground, Pelé was a peace advocate. He visited conflict areas and pleaded to stop the fight of death. He fought against corruption in football and served as the UN goodwill ambassador for the environment and Unesco goodwill ambassador.

While he was caricatured for making wrong predictions in football matches, his words still reverberate, owing to his creativity and pioneering spirits. “Enthusiasm is everything. It must be tight and vibrating like a guitar string,” said the legend. “The only way to win is as a team. Football is not about one or two or three star players.” His words exactly match the life he lived.

His last words were, “Love, love, love, forever.” That was the last message from the hero who dominated the world of football and tried to make the world a brighter place.