MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pelé congratulates Messi and Mbappé for historic World Cup final

“Surely Diego [Maradona] is smiling now,” Pelé also wrote

Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, congratulated Argentina's Lionel Messi on winning the World Cup and France's Kylian Mbappé for scoring four goals during Sunday's final.

From his Sao Paulo hospital bed, Pelé also wrote on social media that “Surely Diego [Maradona] is smiling now.”

“@leomessi winning his first World Cup as was deserved for his career,” Pelé wrote.

“My dear friend @k.mbappe, scoring four goals in a final. What a gift it was to see that show,” he added.

The three-time world champion has been admitted on Nov. 29 at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo for colon cancer treatment. According to his latest medical report, Pelé is also recovering from a lung infection after having caught COVID-19, his daughter explained. Pele had a colon tumor removed in September 2021 and has since been receiving chemotherapy.

His daughters also denied press reports claiming Pelé was no longer responding to chemotherapy, which has thus been discontinued to move on to strictly palliative care.

Also congratulating Messi was his “brother” Neymar. “Congratulations brother,” he wrote on social media. Neymar, 30, and Messi, five years his senior, played four seasons together at FC Barcelona (2013-2017), before meeting again at Paris Saint Germain. Neymar's Brazil lost in the quarterfinals to Croatia.

O futebol deste cara joga pra escanteio qualquer rivalidade. Vi muito brasileiro - e gente do mundo inteiro - torcendo pelo Messi nesta final eletrizante. Uma despedida à altura do gênio que, muito além de craque da Copa, capitaneou uma era.

Parabéns, Messi! pic.twitter.com/djwuKJzexa

— Ronaldo Nazário (@Ronaldo) December 18, 2022

Former Brazilian 2002 world champion Ronaldo wrote that Messi's “football pulls the rug out from under any rivalry, even the historic one between Brazil and Argentina. I saw many Brazilians, and people from all over the world, rooting for @leomessi in this electrifying final.”

”A farewell at the height of the genius (...) who captained an era,” Ronaldo added.