By Victor Kanayo
World adjudged best footballer ever and Brazil great, Pele, has been drafted into the Portuguese edition of the Michaelis dictionary.
This followed the launch of “Pele in the dictionary” campaign by Pele Foundation and Sport earlier this month.
The Portuguese-language Michaelis dictionary, one of the most popular in Brazil, added “Pelé” as a new adjective to its online edition.
The inclusion according to Reuters, came after a campaign by the Pelé Foundation to honour the football star gathered more than 125,000 signatures.
According to the dictionary entry which was unveiled at the Summit Sports event, in Pacaembu, on Wednesday, “Pelé means someone who is out of the ordinary, or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equalled to anything or anyone, just like Pelé.”
The Executive Director of Pele Foundation, Joe Fraga, said, “The Pele campaign in the dictionary is one of the most original we have ever participated… His name in the dictionary is a very important piece of his legacy that will keep Pele alive forever.
“Edson’s nickname Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique. Examples: He is the Pele of basketball, she is the Pele of tennis, she is the Pele of Brazilian dramaturgy, he is the Pele of medicine”.
The family of the late football enigma was presented with a plaque with the entry and Michaelis has already included it in its digital edition. The definition will also be included in the next printed version.
Pele died last year at the age of 82 years, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino during his burial encouraged member countries to name the stadium in their respective nations after Pele – a call that is now being yielded to across the globe.
Pele remains the only player to have won the World Cup three times.
During his playing career spanning two decades, he scored a record 1,281 goals with Brazilian club Santos, Brazil’s national team, and the New York Cosmos.
