Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe was only full of respect to Pele as he paid respects to the football icon who died Thursday, December 29, aged 82.

The legendary Brazilian football player, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, passed on Thursday at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.

Numerous people, officials and organisations have since expressed their condolences to his family.

CAF President MotsepeI, in his statement, said Pelé was a unique inspiration to the African continent and to football lovers worldwide and described his death as a huge loss for supporters and fans of football globally.

"We have on several occasions over the past 18 months used his statement that an African Nation will win the FIFA World Cup by the year 2000, as a source of inspiration to motivate the African Nations participating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” Motsepe said in a statement at CAF issued Friday, December 31

"We have also been inspired by the work he did and his commitment to improve the living conditions of the poor and marginalized. Pelé will forever live in the hearts and minds of football lovers in Africa and worldwide,” he added.

Pele, the legendary Brazilian football player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, had been suffering with kidney and prostate problems in recent years.

He had surgery to remove a tumour from his colon in September 2021 at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, after the tumour was detected in routine tests. He was readmitted to hospital in late November 2022.

The only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970, Pele was named Fifa's Player of the Century in 2000.