Woman claiming to be Pele's secret daughter wants exhumation of Brazilian legend's body for paternity test
A woman who has been claiming to be Brazilian legend Pele's secret daughter has said that she wants the three-time World Cup winner's body exhumed for a paternity test.
Brazilian legend Pele passed away on December 29, 2022. He died at the age of 82 due to multiple organ failure, having been suffering from colon cancer.
Pele got married three times and officially had seven children. A 60-year-old woman from Brazil, Maria do Socorro Azevedo has claimed that Pele is her father. According to the Sun, she filed a paternity lawsuit against the former Brazilian footballer five years ago.
However, the former Santos forward passed away in 2022 before the DNA test could take place. As a result, Maria do Socorro Azevedo's lawyer, Marcos Fernando dos Santos Sousa has urged for a DNA test of Pele's dead body as a last option to settle the issue.
According to Azevedo, her mother never revealed her pregnancy to the Brazilian legend because they only had a fling in Sao Luis, Maranhao. Nevertheless, if the DNA test takes place and Azevedo wins the lawsuit, he would be eligible to a stake in Pele's estate.
Pele's son says that his father would have been sad witnessing Brazil's current situation
Brazilian legend Pele's son, Edinho has stated that his father would have been saddened if he witnessed Selecao's current situation.
The five-time world champions are currently in sixth position in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with two wins in six games. In their last three matches, the Selecao have suffered three consecutive defeats to Argentina (1-0), Colombia (2-1), and Uruguay (2-0).
Reacting to the Selecao's recent middling performances, Brazilian legend Pele's son Edinho said (via AFP):
"This crisis didn't appear overnight, there are big and complex problems. We are experiencing a decline... we still have great players but in previous times we had more high-level players than we do today."
He added:
"There is no doubt, if (Pele) had been there this year, he would have been very sad. Unfortunately this is no surprise. Anyone who has followed the daily life of the club could have anticipated such a scenario, and it has ended up happening."
After making his debut in July 1957, Pele made 92 appearances for the Brazilian national team and bagged 77 goals and 37 assists. He also won three World Cup titles with Selecao (1958, 1962 and 1970).
Pele's former club, Santos also got relegated to the second division for the first time in their illustrious 111-year history.