Nepomniachtchi said that Pele left a big mark on his life

Honored coach of Russia Valery Nepomniachtchi admitted to Sport24 that the three-time world champion Pele left a big mark on his life.

Pele passed away on Thursday at the age of 82 after battling colon cancer. Earlier it became known that the body of the Brazilian stopped responding to chemotherapy.

Pele left a big mark on my life. We are people of the same generation. I watched him play in the championships. He impressed not only as a football genius, but also as a person. After his book was published, almost all the illiterate people in Brazil decided to read it. It was after this that literacy began to be taught in Brazil.

I am very sorry for the loss, but his memory is for centuries. Pele lived a great life! He is the only three-time world champion as a player and an outstanding person as a person. In order to get on the same level with him, you need to live the same life. Pele is the king of football! Nepomniachtchi said.

Pele is the only three-time world football champion (1958, 1962, 1970). He played 92 matches for Brazil and scored 77 goals. At the club level, the striker played for the Brazilian Santos and New York Cosmos.