Pele's life off the field was as eventful as his record-breaking career on it, with three marriages and a range of trailblazing sponsorship deals which helped modern-day players fill their pockets with corporate cash.

As soon as they got the news, Antonio Pereira and his son started running: Pele, the man widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, had died, and they wanted to be there to mourn him.

Before Pele made his debut for Brazil, the South American nation had never won the World Cup. By the time he retired, they had won three - more than any other team.

Argentina's World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi bid Brazilian football hero Pele farewell on Instagram Thursday, posting photos of himself and "The King" taken in happier times.

"I was born to play football, just like Beethoven was born to write music and Michelangelo was born to paint."

Pele was the best-loved footballer of his or any other generation, the eternal master of the beautiful game.

Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died on Thursday at the age of 82.

Want to dive deeper into club football? Here’s how you can get started.

Supporters packed a square in central Paris on Monday to give a rousing welcome to the French football team despite their loss to Argentina in a nail-biting World Cup final.

For the last month, Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates have brought success and unity to their fans, in stark contrast to the country's economic woes and polarized political landscape.

Ultimately, the real winners are the billions of football fans across the globe

Legendary, greatest, immortal: News media across the planet ran out of superlatives after Lionel Messi led Argentina to victory in one of the most dramatic World Cup finals ever.

Commentary transcends into a place where it sprinkles the power of words over the raw emotional journey of live sports.

Kylian Mbappe can on Sunday become the youngest player to win two World Cups since Pele achieved the feat at the age of 21.

Reports in Spain suggest that France striker Karim Benzema could be in line for a shock return to Qatar to play in the World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday night.

The African teams can go head-to-head with the powerhouses of football.

There may have been questions among the fans witnessing the Fifa World Cup over why Morocco are abbreviated as 'MAR' during TV coverage?

Neymar departed in tears. The Brazil No 10 cried inconsolably, only to be lifted off the pitch as the pre-tournament favourites were knocked out on penalties by Croatia in the quarterfinals at the Education City Stadium on Friday night.

Lionel Messi wasn’t available at the pre-match press conference for Argentina’s World Cup semifinal against Croatia on Monday. He wasn’t, in fact, expected to be; the PSG talisman hardly ever attends a press conference.

The World Cup isn't all about the festivity.