Alive but Not Kicking? ‘Pelé is Not DEAD’-the King was Killed by Internet Death Hoax
Monday, 15 July evening I received a WhatsApp message from my friend that the football legend Pele is dead at the age 78- and I believed it- I should have known better, because in the past also there had been many such fake news of his death. Sources reveal that news of footballer Pelé’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the 16 July 2019 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the King is alive and well. Rumors of the footballer’s alleged demise gained traction on Sunday after a ‘R.I.P. Pelé’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’.
Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the Brazilian footballer’s passing:
“At about 11 a.m. ET on Sunday (July 14, 2019), our beloved footballer Pelé passed away. Pelé was born on October 23, 1940 in Três Corações. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”
Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 78-year-old footballer was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax. Where as some trusting fans believed the post, others were immediately skeptical of the report, perhaps learning their lesson from the huge amount of fake death reports emerging about celebrities over recent months. Some pointed out that the news had not been carried on any major Brazilian network, indicating that it was a fake report, as the death of a footballer of Pelé’s stature would be major news across networks.
This is the Signature Kick of Pele’
A recent poll conducted for the Celebrity Post shows that a large majority (67%) of respondents think those Pelé death rumors are not funny anymore. On Monday (July 15) the footballer’s reps officially confirmed that Pelé is not dead. “He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” they said.
Some fans have expressed anger at the fake report saying it was reckless, distressing and hurtful to fans of the much loved footballer. Others say this shows his extreme popularity across the globe.
About Edson Arantes do Nascimento aka PELE’ :
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, born on 23 October 1940, known as Pelé , is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century award. That same year, Pelé was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. According to the IFFHS, Pelé is the most successful domestic league goal-scorer in football history scoring 650 goals in 694 League matches, and in total 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and is a Guinness World Record. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world.
Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, being the only player ever to do so. Pelé is the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 92 games. At club level he is the record goalscorer for Santos, and led them to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores. Known for connecting the phrase “The Beautiful Game” with football, Pelé’s “electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals” made him a star around the world, and his teams toured internationally in order to take full advantage of his popularity. Since retiring in 1977, Pelé has been a worldwide ambassador for football and has made many acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the Honorary President of the New York Cosmos
Inputs fron Siasat Daily