"The Most Important Figure in World Sports... Must Be Recognized"
Brazil has decided to designate November 19, the day when soccer legend Pel? (real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento) scored his 1000th career goal, as "Pel? Memorial Day."
On the 2nd (local time), AP News and others reported that the Brazilian government passed a bill for President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva to designate November 19 each year as the national holiday "King Pel? Day." November 19 is the day when Brazil's soccer emperor Pel? scored his 1000th career goal. Previously playing for Santos FC, Pel? successfully scored a penalty kick on November 19, 1969, at the Maracan? Stadium against Vasco da Gama, securing a 2-1 victory. This goal is officially recognized as Pel?'s 1000th career goal.
When Pel? scored his 1000th goal, excited fans rushed onto the field, causing the match to be temporarily halted. However, there are differing opinions regarding Pel?'s total goal record depending on whether goals from certain competitions are included, leading some to question whether this was truly his 1000th goal.
Pel? was the greatest soccer player in history, leading Brazil to three FIFA World Cup victories (1958, 1962, 1970) during his lifetime. According to FIFA statistics, he played in a total of 1,366 matches and scored 1,281 goals, earning him the title "Soccer Emperor." For the Brazilian national team, he scored 77 goals in 92 A matches (official international matches). He held the record for most goals by a Brazilian male player in A matches until the current Brazilian team ace Neymar (Al Hilal) surpassed him with 79 goals. Pel? passed away in December 2022 at the age of 82 after battling cancer. Senator Jorge Kajuru, who proposed the "King Pel? Day" bill, said, "Pel? deserves to be recognized as one of the most important and influential figures not only in Brazilian soccer but also in world sports."
Meanwhile, the Portuguese-language dictionary published in Brazil, the Michaelis Dictionary, announced that "Pel?" (Pel?) has been added to the dictionary as an adjective meaning "an extraordinary person, or someone incomparable to anyone or anything due to their qualities, value, or superiority." The Michaelis Dictionary also explained Pel?'s dictionary meaning as "the nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940?2022), considered the greatest athlete of all time: outstanding, unparalleled, unique." The dictionary gave examples such as "he is a 'Pel? basketball player'," "she is a 'Pel? tennis player'," "she is a 'Pel? actor'," and "he is a 'Pel? doctor'." This addition was the result of a signature campaign by more than 125,000 Brazilian citizens to honor Pel? by having his name included in the dictionary. The Pel? Foundation expressed joy on Instagram, saying, "The expression already used to refer to the best in any field will now remain in the dictionary forever," and "Pel? now means 'the best'."
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