Towering statue of Pele unveiled in Guadalajara ahead of the World Cup

GUADALAJARA (MéXICO): (May 22)  A large statue of soccer great Pelé was unveiled Thursday in the Mexican city of Guadalajara to commemorate his achievements with the Brazilian national team.

Pelé, who died at age 82 in 2022, won one of his three World Cup titles in Mexico at the 1970 edition of the tournament.

“This monumental figure of this great player, who played here and scored a great goal, is a great gift to the people of Jalisco and to all visitors,” Jalisco Gov. Pablo Lemus said. “Pelé loved Guadalajara, and the Brazilian national team fell in love with it because the Mexican public gave them everything in 1970.”