Credit: Twitter
A Brazilian dictionary has added Pelé as an adjective and synonym for someone who is exceptional, incomparable, and unique. The famous Brazilian dictionary, Michaelis Dictionary announced on Wednesday about the addition of the late Football legend. Under a campaign that gathered more than 125,000 signatures to honour the late player for his contribution to soccer and his ultimate impact, the Michaelis dictionary made this announcement.
The dictionary’s entry read, "The one that is extraordinary, or who because of his quality, value or superiority cannot be matched to anything or anyone, just like Pelé; nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the best athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique. Examples: He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of tennis, she is the Pelé of Brazilian theatre, he is the Pelé of medicine."
Several Brazilians, including the Pelé Foundation, where he played most of his career’s football, welcomed the decision by the publishers of one of the most famous dictionaries in the country. After the announcement, Pele’s social media channels read, "The expression that was already used to refer to the best at something is already eternal in the pages of the dictionary. We made history together and put the name of the King of Soccer into the Portuguese language. Pelé means THE BEST'."
Pelé, the greatest footballer of all time, died in December at the age of 82 after a fight against colon cancer.
