President leads Irish tributes to 'perhaps the greatest player ever'

The sheer joy with which Pelé 'embraced the game will continue to inspire and bring people to the sport for generations to come', said President Higgins.

President Michael D Higgins last night led Irish tributes to the legendary Brazilian footballer Pelé, describing him as “perhaps the greatest player ever to play the game”.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Pelé on a number of occasions in the 1980s and 1990s and our last meeting was on a working visit to Mexico in 2013 in Guadalajara,” he said.