Brazilian giant Flamengo played their first game of 2023 on Thursday night and took the chance to honor the memory of Pelé, who died on Dec. 29. Sadly, not everybody at the Maracanã Stadium showed due respect to O Rei, with a group of fans chanting and calling him a "pothead" during a customary minute of silence.
I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast, but if you've been following The18 for the past year then you've already seen all 11 FIFA Puskas Award nominees. We have exquisite taste like that.
But in case you can't remember the strikes — arriving as early as Apr. 2 and as late as Kylian Mbappé's side-volley against Argentina in the World Cup final on Dec. 18 — here's a trip down memory lane with videos that you can watch right here, right now. I've also included a link to what The18 said at the time.
24 days after lifting the World Cup, Lionel Messi made his return to the pitch as league-leading PSG welcomed last-place Angers to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
With Kylian Mbappé not returning to training until Thursday, PSG manager Christophe Galtier started Messi and Neymar out wide with 20-year-old French striker Hugo Ekitiké leading the line and Fabián Ruiz joining the attack from midfield.
Before the match, PSG players warmed up in shirts paying tribute to Pelé and there was a minute's applause before kick-off.
Argentina's victorious World Cup squad members have all gone back to their club sides where they've been given receptions befitting the return of conquering heroes. PSG gave Lionel Messi a guard of honor on Wednesday when he returned to training, Alexis Mac Allister was serenaded by Brighton teammates and Enzo Fernández...
Brazilian international Dani Alves defended himself against the accusations of sexual assault he currently faces after visiting a popular nightclub in Barcelona.
"I want to deny everything," he said on the Spanish TV show Y Ahora Sonsoles.
️ Dani Alves habla sobre su acusación de una presunta agresión sexual.#YAhoraSonsoles5Enehttps://t.co/ktWhr6Mjfs
After getting more than 74 million "hearts" and becoming the most-liked post in the history of Instagram, the iconic photo of Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy is again in the news.
This time for a very different and weird reason: Two Argentina supporters claim the trophy Messi was holding is a fake.
Kylian Mbappe took himself a couple of vacation days after practically jumping on a plane from Qatar to PSG’s training ground to restart the 2022-23 campaign.
Yet, after a more than draining couple of months that were topped off with a loss in the World Cup final against Argentina, Mbappé was reminded and taunted by a couple dozen of Argentina fans that were just in the right place at the right time.
SANTOS, Brazil - Emotional crowds bid Brazil soccer legend Pelé a final farewell on Tuesday, lining the streets of Santos to watch his coffin taken to its final resting place from the city's stadium where 230,000 mourners had filed past his open casket.
Young and old embraced as the funeral procession wound its way through the costal city's streets for hours, with some fans in tears and others cheering and drumming for a national hero who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history.
SANTOS, Brazil - The Brazilian coastal city of Santos, which sporting giant Pelé turned into a byword for soccer brilliance during a glittering club career, prepared to bid goodbye to its hero on Monday with a 24-hour wake.
A memorial will be held for Pelé, who died on Thursday at the age of 82 after battling colon cancer, at the Vila Belmiro stadium, the home of Santos Football Club.
"The expectation is huge, the whole world will be here," said local fan Roberto Santos. "Pelé needs no presentation. Pelé for us is everything."
El fútbol y el mundo está de luto después del fallecimiento del irrepetible Edson Arantes do Nascimento, mejor conocido como Pelé.
REI PELÉ pic.twitter.com/epP8zZHRYr