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“King” Pele “changed everything”, says Brazil forward Neymar as tributes pour in for the late footballing legend.

Arguably the greatest player ever, Pele died at the age of 82 on Thursday and current and former players took to social media to pay their respects.

“Before Pele, football was only a sport,” Neymar wrote on Instagram.

“Pele changed everything. He turned football into art, into entertainment. He gave a voice to the poor, to black people.”

Neymar added: “Mainly: he gave visibility to Brazil. Football and Brazil raised their status thanks to the King! He is gone, but his magic will remain.”

Neymar’s French Paris St-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe also described Pele as “the king of football”, adding “his legacy will never be forgotten”.

Pele is credited with scoring a world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals in 92 matches for his country.