Author: Vishwajit Sawant
The name of the legendary soccer player Pelé has gained a new status as an adjective meaning “exceptional, incomparable, unique” in the Michaelis dictionary of the Portuguese language, which is widely used in Brazil.
The online edition of the dictionary now includes the term “Pelé”, following a successful campaign by the Pelé Foundation, which gathered more than 125,000 signatures to honor the soccer icon’s legacy.
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In December, the world lost a soccer icon with the death of Pelé at the age of 82. Pelé’s unparalleled achievement of winning the World Cup three times and his exceptional skills on the pitch earned him a well-deserved reputation as the greatest footballer in history.
During a career spanning two decades, he set a record by scoring an incredible 1,281 goals during his time with Brazilian club Santos, the Brazilian national team and the New York Cosmos.
After Pelé passed away from colon cancer, several organizations, including his former club Santos, the sports channel SporTV and the Pelé Foundation, had been working to have the soccer legend honored with a dedicated entry in the dictionary.
The publishers of the Michaelis dictionaries announced on Wednesday that they have included the word “Pelé” in the digital edition of their Portuguese language dictionary. The printed version of the next edition will also feature the word.
The entry defines “Pelé” as an adjective meaning something or someone incomparable, exceptional, unique and unequaled, just like the late Edson Arantes do Nascimento, widely known as Pelé, who is considered the greatest athlete of all time.
The Pelé Foundation expressed its satisfaction with the project and considered it a fitting tribute to the “king”. He tweeted that the term that has long been used to refer to an individual who excels in their field has been immortalized in the pages of the dictionary!