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"He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of tennis, she is the Pelé of Brazilian theater."
Three-time world champion Pelé has been added to the popular Brazilian dictionary Michaelis as an adjective to describe someone "exceptional, incomparable, unique."
"One who is extraordinary, or who by his quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone, such as Pelé; nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique," reads the Portuguese-language dictionary entry.
It gives as examples: "He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of tennis, she is the Pelé of Brazilian theater, he is the Pelé of medicine."
This is a posthumous tribute to the Brazilian soccer legend, who died in São Paulo last December at the age of 82. To this end, more than 125 000 signatures were collected as part of a campaign by the Pelé Foundation to immortalize the iconic footballer.
O REI OFICIALMENTE ESTÁ NO DICIONÁRIO!
— Pelé (@Pele) April 26, 2023
Ele é o pelé do Basquete. Ela é a pelé do Tênis. A expressão que já era usada para se referir ao melhor naquilo que faz está eternizada nas páginas do dicionário! Juntos fizemos história e colocamos o nome do Rei do futebol na nossa língua… pic.twitter.com/Yy5RwWjq8J
THE KING IS OFFICIALLY IN THE DICTIONARY! He is the Pele of Basketball. She is the Pelé of Tennis. The expression that was already used to refer to the best at what he does is now eternalized in the pages of the dictionary! Together we made history and put the name of the King of soccer in our Portuguese language. Pelé, the meaning of "BEST"!
The charity, which seeks to "preserve the legacy of the King," said through its official Twitter account that "together we made history and put the name of the King of soccer in our Portuguese language. Pelé, the meaning of "BEST"!
For his part, the foundation's executive director said that bringing his name to one of Brazil's most popular dictionaries means that "a very important part of his legacy will keep Pelé alive forever."
Pelé is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player in history. Over a 21-year career, he scored a record 1,283 goals for the Brazilian national team, Brazil's Santos and the New York Cosmos. He was the only player to win the World Cup three times in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the first at just 17 years old.
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