Sports
Soccer Legend Pelé, Who Guided Cosmos To 2 Titles, Dies At 82
After three World Cups, Pelé led the New York Cosmos to a pair of championships in the 1970s.
LONG ISLAND, NY —By the time Pelé signed with the New York Cosmos, he was already an international star. He was the only soccer player to win three World Cup titles for Brazil.
The soccer legend died on Thursday at age 82.
Pelé joined the Cosmos in 1975 and forever changed soccer in this country.
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His North American debut was viewed by 10 million people, a record for soccer in the U.S., ESPN said.
Pelé remained with the Cosmos through 1977, leaving the sport on top of the world, guiding the team to their second Soccer Bowl title in three years.
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He closed out his career with an exhibition match seen nationally and worldwide. Pelé played in front of a sold-out crowd in the fall of 1977.
When Pelé arrived in the New York area, he commanded the highest salary of any athlete in the world—$2.8 million over three years.
The Cosmos striker had been ill in a Brazil hospital since last month with colon cancer.
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