Soccer legend Pele wanted Argentina and Lionel Messi to win the World Cup after his native Brazil’s exit, his daughter revealed.
Pele, who passed away aged 82 on December 29, watched the majority of the tournament in Qatar from his hospital bed but would regularly posted about the event on social media.
He regularly tweeted out his support for Brazil, who he won three World Cups with, until their quarter-final exit on penalties at the hands of Croatia.
His daughter, Kely Nascimento, has now revealed that her father backed Brazil’s South American rivals once his home country heartbreakingly crashed out of the tournament.
She took to Instagram to share a selfie of herself with Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo and revealed that she had passed on the story of Pele’s support.
Soccer legend Pele wanted Argentina and Lionel Messi to win the World Cup after Brazil’s exit
His daughter Kely Nascimento (L) revealed she had told Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo (R)
She wrote in the caption: ‘Story time: This is the very pretty and kind Antonela Roccuzzo, Messi’s wife. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Messi, so when I met her in the magical place of every party (the women’s restroom) I passed on a message to him through her.
‘When Brazil lost to Croatia, my dad was already getting worse. Everyone wanted Brazil to win the World Cup for my dad, no one more than the selecao! But my dad knew better than most what soccer is like. And it was the possibility of any team being able to win that he would always say was what he loved about the beautiful game.
‘After Brazil’s exit, everyone that came into his hospital room (all day, every day until the final!!!) would ask him: ‘and now Pele? Now who do you want to win? Surely not Argentina!!!’
‘And he would say, “Yes Argentina! The trophy has to come back to South America and Messi has to win.”
‘Everyone would feign (and sometimes not even feign) horror! What?! Argentina?!
‘And he simply would say, “yes, Messi wins.”‘
She added that her father did not get to watch the final but claimed that he knew Messi had clinched the desired victory and was happy before he died.
‘He didn’t ever get to watch the final on television but he knew that Argentina had won and that Messi had lifted the trophy, and he was happy,’ she added. ‘Long live football.’
Brazil crashed out of the World Cup on penalties to Croatia in the quarter finals in Qatar
Pele’s daughter took to Instagram to share the heartwarming story of her father’s support
SRC: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
