Pelé's daughter talks about the 1st World Cup without the King The 2026 World Cup is the first after the death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, considered the greatest player in the history of football and the only three-time world champion. His daughter, Flávia Arantes do Nascimento, stated that the feeling is one of longing and pride for her father (watch above). "It fills the heart with nostalgia. It fills the heart with pride at how important he was to our history, especially in football", said Flávia in a video released by Hospital Pequeno Príncipe, which is a reference in the care of children and adolescents in Curitiba (PR). ✅ Click here to follow the new g1 Santos channel on WhatsApp. Pelé played in four World Cups wearing the number 10 shirt for the Brazilian team. In 1958, the player won his first title at just 17 years old, in Sweden. The other two cups were lifted by him in 1962, in Chile, and 1970, in Mexico, when he became the first three-time world champion. Pelé's daughter talks about the 1st World Cup without the King Reproduction/Social Media Throughout the four World Cups, the King of Football put 12 balls in the net and provided nine assists, which placed him at the top of yet another ranking: Pelé has the highest number of direct participation in goals for the Brazilian team. The player ended his career in the championship being carried on his shoulders after Brazil's third World Cup victory at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico, where the 2026 World Cup debut took place on Thursday (11). Before the opening of the World Cup, Pelé's official Instagram profile celebrated the moment experienced by the Athlete of the Century 56 years ago: "In 1970, it was an eternal moment: the jump, the clenched fist, the King carried on the shoulders of an entire people. In 2026, the world stops again for the ball and the inspiration remains the same as always. It's the first World Cup without the King, but he doesn't say goodbye. The King is eternal. 👑". Azteca Stadium was the stage for the historic conquest of Pelé's Brazil Getty Images Missing you Given her father's trajectory, Flávia stated that it is impossible to dissociate the player and the championship. "Pelé and the World Cup go together. And, speaking of the World Cup, we immediately remember Pelé. It's very different this year because the first thing we think is that Pelé isn't in this World Cup", she highlighted. Pelé's daughter added that she is proud to see her father's importance in the public's interest in football and the World Cup. "How magical this is, how much this football moves us, and he passed this on to us and to all Brazilians with the beauty in which he performed his work." Flávia is a volunteer at the Associação Mantenedora do Complexo Pequeno Príncipe, who also received help from Pelé while he was alive. In fact, the player even sponsored a social project at the health unit. Pelé playing for the Brazilian team at the World Cup Reproduction/Instagram Farewell to the King Pelé died at the age of 82, on December 29, 2022, at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in São Paulo, victim of multiple organ failure caused by colon cancer. The King of Football's wake took place in Vila Belmiro, in Santos, and lasted 24 hours, bringing together thousands of fans and authorities. The procession followed in a Fire Department car through the streets of the city and stopped in front of the house of his mother, Celeste Arantes do Nascimento, who attended the farewell in Vila Belmiro for health reasons. Afterwards, Pelé was buried in a ceremony restricted to family members. VIDEOS: g1 in 1 minute Santos