Kathmandu,

December 30,

Pele, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82.

Pele spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team.

Pele had been battling cancer for a while and recently, his health condition worsened during hospital stay to regulate his cancer medication, doctors had announced earlier this week.