Pelé
Pelé’s passing on Thursday (Dec. 29) has generated reactions of grief and veneration from musicians, athletes, politicians and other personalities, but one that has received special attention is that of Brazilian former model, TV host and singer Xuxa, who was in a high-profile relationship with the Brazilian soccer legend in the 1980s.
“Márcia, Kelly, Edinho, Jennifer, Joshua, Celeste and others (children of the heart), grandchildren, nephews, Lucia… and all those who have been by Dico’s side, my affectionate hug and may the pain of loss become good memories to be less heavy”, Xuxa wrote in Portuguese on Thursday via Instagram, captioning a photo of what appears to be the hands of loved ones resting on the king of the “jogo bonito.” “Márcia, may God give you the lap you need,” she added addressing Pelé’s widow, Marcia Aoki.
Pelé, who was also a musician, passed away in São Paulo at the age of 82. He had been battling colon cancer since September 2021 and was hospitalized in November. The news of his death was confirmed on his official Instagram page.
Four decades have passed since he and Xuxa were one of the most famous couples in the world of sports and entertainment, and also one of the most scrutinized by the media, both for their race difference and their age gap.
“And also money,” Xuxa said years later on Univision’s El Show de Cristina. “He had a lot of fame and money, so people thought I was with him because of this.” Xuxa was 17 and Pelé 40 when they started dating in 1980 after meeting at a photo shoot for the cover of Manchete magazine in which Pelé posed with four models, including her. The relationship would last almost seven years.
“I thought that, with time passing, people would stop talking. But no, they didn’t,” the Brazilian star added in the same interview, in which she spoke in Spanish. Eventually the love ran out and they broke up, Xuxa said. And each of them moved on.
Pelé, who had previously been married to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi (1966 to 1982), mother of his children Kelly Cristina, Jennifer and Edson, married two more times — first with singer Assíria Lemos Seixas (1992 to 2008), with whom he had twins Joshua and Celeste; and in 2016 with the Japanese-Brazilian entrepreneur Marcia Aoki, who was by his side until the end.
As for Xuxa, she spent a decade with Brazilian businessman and actor Luciano Szafir, with whom she had her only daughter, model Sasha Meneghel. Xuxa has been in a relationship with actor Junno Andrade since 2012.
See Xuxa’s Instagram post about Pelé below.
Pelé, the king of the “jogo bonito,” passed away on Thursday (December 29) in São Paulo at age 82. He had been treated for colon cancer since 2021 and was hospitalized for the past month, according to The Associated Press. His agent, Joe Fraga, confirmed the news.
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With his death, the world not only loses one of the greatest athletes in history. The legendary Brazilian soccer player, who won a record three World Cups and was undeniably part of the pop culture (appearing even on The Simpsons), was also a singer-songwriter.
It is a much-less-known side of Pelé internationally: “I didn’t want the public to make the comparison between Pelé the composer and Pelé the football player,” he told British newspaper The Guardian in 2006. “That would have been a huge injustice. In football, my talent was a gift from God. Music was just for fun.”
However, he kept honing his musical vocation throughout his life: “He was never far from a guitar, and he carried a miniature tape recorder to capture tunes or lyrics as the mood struck him,” wrote Lawrie Mifflin on her Pelé obituary for the New York Times.
And he got music published over the years too, from the 1977 LP Pelé to his single “Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man),” featuring Rodrigo and Gabriela just two years ago.
Here are some of Pelé’s albums and songs you can listen to today:
Sergio Mendes’ Pelé
The 1977 album by Brazilian composer and arranger Sérgio Mendes was the soundtrack to a documentary on Pelé’s life and marked the soccer player’s debut as a singer and songwriter. Pelé performed two of his own songs in this production: the main theme “Meu Mundo É uma Bola (My World Is a Ball)”, and “Cidade Grande (Big City)”, accompanied by the Brazilian singer Gracinha Leporace.
“Esperança”
Written by Pelé in honor of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, “Esperança” is an upbeat pagode song about youth performed with a children’s choir. It’s music video combines images of Pelé singing in the studio with some of boys playing soccer and scenes from the city.
Pelé Ginga
This 13-track album released in 2014 includes collaborations with Brazilian music greats Gilberto Gil, on “Quem Sou Eu”, and Elis Regina, on “Perdão Não Tem” and “Vexamão”. It also features Brazilian rapper Rappin’ Hood in “Ginga”, a word that describes a Brazilian style of playing soccer in which the ball is controlled, passed and scored with such ease and flow that it makes the rival feel non-existent.
“Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man)”, featuring Rodrigo y Gabriela
Released on October 20, 2020, just three days before his 80th birthday, the single “Acredita No Véio (Listen To The Old Man)” features the Grammy-winning Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. “I wrote this one because when I used to play with Santos, the coach used to say that when we lost it was the players’ fault, but when we won it was the macumba (black magic) had helped,” said Pelé back then in a press release. “The song is joking about that.”
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