As soon as they got the news, Antonio Pereira and his son started running: Pele, the man widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, had died, and they wanted to be there to mourn him.

Before Pele made his debut for Brazil, the South American nation had never won the World Cup. By the time he retired, they had won three - more than any other team.

Pele was hailed by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday as a "source of inspiration for so many millions".

France star Kylian Mbappe said on Thursday that Pele's legacy "will never be forgotten" after the Brazil legend died at the age of 82.

Football legend Pele, who died Thursday at the age of 82, "transformed football into an art," said Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar in a tribute to his country's greatest sporting icon.

Pele burst onto the global stage at just 17 with dazzling goals as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time in Sweden in 1958.

"I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint."

Pele was the best-loved footballer of his or any other generation, the eternal master of the beautiful game.

Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died on Thursday at the age of 82.

English Premier League giants Chelsea have reportedly come out to be the frontrunners in the race to sign one of the hottest midfield sensations to have come out of the World Cup in Qatar, Argentine World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez, English Daily The Sun reported on Thursday.

 Dutch forward Cody Gakpo said he was persuaded to join Liverpool by Netherlands skipper Virgil van Dijk, who also plays at the Premier League club.

Erling Haaland lamented not scoring five times in the city of his birth as the Norwegian struck twice in Manchester City's 3-1 win at Leeds to lift them back up to second in the Premier League.

An injury-time penalty from Kylian Mbappe sealed a last-gasp 2-1 win for Paris Saint-Germain over modest Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Wednesday after Neymar had been sent off.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said that he is mainly responsible for the team's situation as they have failed to find their best form and sit in fifth place in LaLiga.

Iranian football legend Ali Daei, who has backed protests following Mahsa Amini's death, said Monday an airplane from Tehran to Dubai had been rerouted and his family ordered off.

Jurgen Klopp has hailed Lionel Messi as 'the greatest player of his lifetime' and explained why he was happy to see Argentina winning the World Cup.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said the year, in which Liverpool won the League Cup and FA Cup and came agonisingly close to a quadruple, had been "pretty special" from "a sport point of view".

Former Uruguay midfielder Fabian O'Neill, who played for Cagliari and Nacional at the club level, died on Sunday at the age of 49, Uruguay's soccer federation said.

Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been criticised by manager Pep Guardiola after returning from the World Cup out of shape.

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira believes Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's "stupid" celebrations have tarnished Argentina's World Cup final win.