Pelé, the fate of his number 10 hangs in the balance

A number that will be momentarily his alone, and perhaps forever.

Pelé has died at the age of 82, and while Brazil and the whole world continue to celebrate him and remember how precious his legacy is to the world of soccer, pictures of O’Rei wearing the number 10 jersey of Santos have been circulating everywhere. A jersey whose fate has not yet been definitively decided.

In fact, the Paulista club has announced that the number made immortal by Pelé himself may not be worn by any other player until the end of 2023. Only then will the alvinegro club determine whether the retirement will be permanent.

According to ‘Lance.com’ reports, the request to retire the number 10 permanently was forwarded directly by Pelé’s family to Santos president André Rueda. At first informal, it would have since been reiterated in a phone call.

“The use of the number 10 by Santos is suspended for now. We will talk about it later with the board of directors, and we will decide whether to withdraw it altogether,” Rueda confirmed.