Brazilian football icon Pele has died at the age of 82.

The former Santos FC trailblazer, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time had been battling cancer. He was admitted to the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo since 29 November.

His family statement reads: "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love.

His message today becomes a legacy for future generations.

Love, love and love, forever."

Pele made his debut for Santos at just 15 and donned the Brazilian yellow-gold just a year later. He was just 17 when he won the World Cup in 1958.

He went on to add two more to his tally in 1962 and 1970. To this day, he is the only footballer to have won three World Cup titles.

He scored 757 goals in 831 official games and ended his career to become one of the greatest goalscorers to ever play the game.