'Pelé' is now a word to describe "someone out of the ordinary", as the three-time World Cup winner's name was included as a new adjective in the Portuguese edition of the Michaelis dictionary.
Earlier this month, the Pelé Foundation and SporTV launched the "Pelé in the dictionary" campaign to pay tribute and recognise his legacy in other fields besides sport.
Having reached more than 167,000 signatures, the name of the former player, who died in December, is now an entry.
"The expression already used to refer to someone who is the best at what they do has been eternalized on the pages of the dictionary," the Pelé Foundation said on Instagram.
Under the new entry, the word is defined as "exceptional, incomparable, unique" - qualities associated with "The King" of football.
"Pelé: That or someone who is out of the ordinary, who or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equalled to anything or anyone, just like Pelé," says the dictionary entry which was unveiled at the Summit Sports event, in Pacaembu, yesterday.
"Edson's nickname Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique. Examples: He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of tennis, she is the Pelé of Brazilian dramaturgy, he is the Pelé of medicine".
Pelé's family was presented with a plaque with the entry and Michaelis has already included it in its digital edition. The definition will also be included in the next printed version.
"The Pelé campaign in the dictionary is one of the most original we have ever participated... His name in the dictionary is a very important piece of his legacy that will keep Pele alive forever," said Joe Fraga, executive director of the Pelé Foundation.
Pelé scored a world record 1,281 goals during his more than two decades playing with Santos (1956-74), the Brazilian national team, and the New York Cosmos (1975-77).
