Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro will soon change its name. According to CNN, Rio de Janeiro’s state legislature has decided to rename the country’s main stadium in honor of former Santos and Brazilian striker Pele.
The decision was made as a result of a vote held among the residents of the state. In the new name “Maracana” Pele will be called “king” – it sounds like this: “Edson Arantis do Nascimento – King of Pele”.
Pele himself has repeatedly entered the Maracana field. The stadium is the home arena of Flamengo and Fluminense, and some home matches are played by Botafogo and Vasco da Gama. It is believed that it was in the match against Vasco, which took place at the Maracana in 1969, that Pele scored his 1000th goal of his career.
While “Maracana” has another official name – “Journalist Mario Filho”. The stadium is named after the Brazilian journalist who made the project a reality.
Pele is the only footballer in the world to become the world champion three times as a player (1958, 1962 and 1970). The Brazilian is also recognized as the best footballer of the 20th century by the FIFA Football Commission. Pele turned 80 in autumn 2020.