‘Pelé’ is officially a word in the dictionary and its definition is perfect

Pelé is now a word to describe 'someone out of the ordinary' as the three-time World Cup winner's name was included as a new adjective in the Portuguese edition of the Michaelis dictionary.

Earlier this month, the Pelé Foundation and Sportv launched the "Pelé in the dictionary" campaign to pay tribute and recognize his legacy in other fields besides sport.

Having reached more than 100,000 signatures, the name of the former player, who died in December, is now an entry in the dictionary.

IT’S OFFICIAL

The word Pelé has been added to the Dictionary.

Immortalised in the Portuguese language.

• pe.lé® adj m+f sm+f That or someone who is out of the ordinary, what or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equaled to anything or anyone. pic.twitter.com/P4Y59O7XIJ

— AllThingsSeleção ™ (@SelecaoTalk) April 26, 2023

O REI OFICIALMENTE ESTÁ NO DICIONÁRIO!

Ele é o pelé do Basquete. Ela é a pelé do Tênis. A expressão que já era usada para se referir ao melhor naquilo que faz está eternizada nas páginas do dicionário! Juntos fizemos história e colocamos o nome do Rei do futebol na nossa língua… pic.twitter.com/Yy5RwWjq8J

— Pelé (@Pele) April 26, 2023

"Pelé: That or someone who is out of the ordinary, who or who by virtue of their quality, value or superiority cannot be equalled to anything or anyone, just like Pelé," says the dictionary entry which was unveiled at the Summit Sports event, in Pacaembu, on Wednesday.

"Edson's nickname Arantes do Nascimento (1940-2022), considered the greatest athlete of all time; exceptional, incomparable, unique. Examples: He is the Pelé of basketball, she is the Pelé of tennis, she is the Pelée of Brazilian dramaturgy, he is the Pelé of medicine".

Pelé's family was presented with a plaque with the entry and Michaelis has already included it in its digital edition. The definition will also be included in the next printed version.

"The Pelé campaign in the dictionary is one of the most original we have ever participated... His name in the dictionary is a very important piece of his legacy that will keep Pele alive forever," said Joe Fraga, executive director of the Pelé Foundation. 

(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Pritha Sarkar)