Brazilian football officials have been urged to replace three of the five stars on their jerseys with hearts as a tribute to Pele by South American football authorities.
Brazil presently sports five stars on its well-known yellow jerseys to signify their five World Cup victories, which is the most of any other country.
Pele was a member of the team during three of the World Cup victories, and no other player has scored more goals for Brazil. After scoring his 77th Selecao goal in Friday’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to Croatia, Neymar has now equaled Pele for the record.
That loss came in the wake of the news that Pele had been hospitalised back home in Sao Paulo, though it was reported the 82-year-old is making “progressive improvement”.
CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, sent Pele its best wishes while proposing Brazil make an alteration to their kits.
It said in a statement: “A hundred people gathered this Sunday, December 11, at the CONMEBOL Tree Of Dreams in Doha, Qatar, to honour Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known sportingly as Pele, the only player in soccer history to win three world titles.
“It is in honour of this unprecedented event that the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) proposes to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) that they change three of the five World Cup stars that appear on the chest of their shirt for three hearts, in recognition of Pele.
“Another central focus of the act was the message of encouragement and great strength to Pele, admitted since November 29 at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, where he is recovering satisfactorily from a lung infection, according to the doctors.”
Alejandro Dominguez, the CONMEBOL president, added: “We are on his side in this game that he is playing. It is the right time to pay tribute to him again and let him know that he will live in the heart of anyone who loves football. Our job is for people to continue to know and love Pele.”
👑🇧🇷 Em evento no Catar, a CONMEBOL enviou uma mensagem de apoio a @Pele e propôs a mudança de três estrelas por três corações na camisa da @CBF_Futebol.
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) December 11, 2022