The death of legendary soccer player Pelé in December 2022 left the world in mourning, especially his home country of Brazil. He secured three World Cup titles for his nation and set the record for the youngest player to do so at just 17 years old. For all intents and purposes, he is truly soccer’s GOAT, and is considered by many to be the greatest athlete in history.
A Brazilian dictionary just moved to make sure that future generations are aware of that fact. The Michaelis dictionary announced today (April 26) that it was adding “Pelé” to the Portuguese language with a fitting definition. The move came after a campaign aimed at honoring the late legend’s impact on the world beyond soccer received more than 125,000 signatures.
According to The Associated Press, the dictionary entry defines “Pelé” as someone who is, in Tina Turner’s words, simply the best. “One who is extraordinary, or who because of their quality, value, or superiority cannot be matched by anything or anyone, just like Pelé, nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the best athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique,” the entry reads. “Examples: He is the pelé of basketball. She is the pelé of tennis. She is the pelé of Brazilian theater.”
His social media channels and Santos FC, where he played most of his career, celebrated the official addition of “Pelé” to the books.
“THE KING IS OFFICIALLY IN THE DICTIONARY!” the Instagram post declared, as seen below. “The expression that was already used to refer to the best at something has been eternalized in the pages of the dictionary! Together, we made history and put the name of the king of football in our Portuguese language. ‘Pelé,’ the meaning of ‘THE BEST!'”