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Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known and loved across the world as Pelé, passed away on 29 December, aged 82 in São Paulo following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, he was often referred to as “The King”. He went on to become one of the most recognised names not only in football, or sport, but the global stage. Pelé transcended sport.

Named after the American inventor Thomas Edison and born in 1940 in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais, he was the son of Celeste Arantes and Fluminense footballer Dondinho.

The young boy with the world at his football feet would eventually grow up to become the game’s first global icon, and the most decorated player in FIFA World Cup™ history.

Aged just 17, Pelé was called up to the Brazil squad that travelled to Sweden in 1958, playing a crucial role in A Seleção’s first-ever World Cup triumph. The teenager scored six goals in that edition, including a brace in his side’s 5-2 victory over Sweden in the final.

One of the most legendary strikers in German footballing history, Uwe Seeler was prolific for Hamburger SV and West Germany, for whom he netted 43 times in 72 international appearances. 

In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, Pelé’s list of the greatest living players, and he held the distinction of being the first footballer to be awarded the Great Order of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany. 

The talismanic frontman featured at four FIFA World Cups™, scoring in each of them – a feat matched only by Pelé, Miroslav Klose, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Seeler captained the West German side that contested the 1966 final and he retained the armband four years later, when they came third. He became only the second honorary captain of the national team when he received the distinction from the German Football Association (DFB) in 1972.

He spent almost all of his club career at hometown club Hamburg, with whom he lifted the 1959-1960 domestic title and the 1963 German Cup. His record of 404 goals in 476 matches earned him a cult following amongst Die Rothosen faithful. He topped the Bundesliga scoring charts in the competition’s maiden campaign (1963-1964) and was crowned Germany’s Footballer of the Year three times.

Seeler was also reputed for his fair play on the pitch and as a role model off it, assisting a host of charities and holding a number of honorary positions. 

Admiration for Seeler extended far beyond Hamburg, with fans across Germany referring to him as “Uns Uwe” (“Our Uwe”). 

“News of Uwe Seeler’s death hit us all hard,” declared FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “He’s one of the greatest‑ever legends of German football. His performances and the records he set will never be forgotten. He wasn’t just a great striker, but above and beyond that, he was an example of how to be humble and down‑to‑earth.”

Samar Banerjee, known as “Badru”, was a talented striker who will be best remembered for captaining India to a fourth‑place finish at the Olympic Football Tournament Melbourne 1956. 

His footballing journey began at Milan Samity before he joined Bally Protiva in his native Howrah. A brief spell with Bengal Nagpur Railway followed before he shot to prominence at Mohun Bagan. 

He propelled the club to their first-ever Durand Cup triumph in 1953, plundering crucial goals in both the semi-final and final. The club went on to break further new ground in 1954 after securing a maiden Calcutta Football League and Indian Football Association Shield double.

Despite spending all of his club career in France, Faouzi Mansouri left an indelible mark on Algerian football. A versatile defender, he was part of the golden generation that recorded the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup™ victory, a famous 2-1 win over West Germany at Spain 1982 that also earned the Fennec Foxes the distinction of being the first African side to defeat European opposition on the world’s biggest stage.

The impressive defender also represented Algeria at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Although the North Africans failed to progress from the group stage on both occasions, their appearances at the global showpiece left the nation’s supporters with some fine memories. 

Born in the Tunisian town of Menzel Bourguiba, Mansouri’s family emigrated to France for financial reasons when he was a child. He took his first steps in the game at the Nîmes Olympique academy, where he spent five seasons between 1975 and 1980, before embarking on a journey that saw him turn out for AS Béziers, Montpellier Hérault SC and FC Mulhouse.

One of the great Mexican players of his generation, Jesús del Muro was a veteran of three FIFA World Cups™: Sweden 1958, Chile 1962 and England 1966.

“Chucho”, as he was affectionately known, began his career in the Mexican second tier with Atlas as a forward but he later switched to centre-back, where he would spend the rest of his career. After almost a decade with the Guadalajara-based outfit, he went on to represent CD Veracruz, Cruz Azul, where he was part of the side that secured the club’s first-ever league title and cup crown in the 1968‑1969 season, and Deportivo Toluca.

It is believed that several of the game’s contemporary heavyweights, including Boca Juniors and Pelé’s Santos, were keen to secure Del Muro’s services, but any such move was thwarted by the Atlas board’s insistence on an exorbitant fee for their prized asset.

After calling time on his playing days, Del Muro remained in the game and coached at youth level, most notably with the Mexican national team, where he occupied prominent roles with the U-17 and U-20 sides, helping to nurture the development of the nation’s emerging talents.

In March 2022, the former central defender was inducted into the International Football Hall of Fame, along with Raúl González, Fabio Cannavaro, Roberto Carlos, Antônio Carlos Santos, Didí, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Pia Sundhage and his compatriots Maribel Domínguez, Oswaldo Sánchez, Vicente Pereda and Pablo Larios.

The sudden death of highly respected Namibian assistant referee Kornelius Shilixuleni Ndapewa at the age of just 29 shocked the international football community.

Just a month after obtaining her FIFA assistant referee certification, the talented official sadly passed away following a short illness.

A spokesperson from the Oshana Regional Football League described her as a “passionate, beloved and fearless” individual.

“On behalf of the FIFA Referees Committee and the worldwide football family, I wish to extend our condolences to you, to the Namibia Football Association community and, most importantly, to Kornelius Shilixuleni Ndapewa’s family, friends and loved ones,” said Pierluigi Collina.

Osim’s coaching career saw him travel extensively. He firstly left Yugoslavia for Greece to take up the reins at Panathinaikos, where he delivered Greek Cup success in the 1992-1993 season. He next checked into Austrian football for an eight-year spell with Sturm Graz, whom he twice steered to league glory in the 1997‑1998 and 1998-1999 seasons.

His next destination was Japan, where, between 2003 and 2006, he coached JEF United Ichihara, who, despite not having one of the biggest budgets in the Japanese top flight, enjoyed considerable success. On the strength of his achievements at the Chiba-based club, he was appointed coach of the Japan national team in 2006 and became a massively popular figure. Indeed, a book of his apopthegms, Words of Osim, sold an impressive 400,000 copies.

As for his playing career, Osim started out at local team Željezničar in 1959. Five years after his senior debut for the club, the elegant midfielder shone for Yugoslavia at the Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 1964 and soon began to attract suitors from overseas. Football Association of Yugoslavia rules prohibited players from moving abroad until their late 20s, however, and so it was not until 1968 that he was able to join Dutch club Zwolsche Boys. He later went on to ply his trade at RC Strasbourg and CS Sedan before securing a move to US Valenciennes. He then returned to Strasbourg for a two-season spell between 1976 and 1978 before calling time on his career.

Osim was capped 16 times by Yugoslavia between 1964 and 1969 and was part of the team that beat the then world champions, England, 1-0 in the semi-finals of the 1968 European Championship in Italy.

A pivotal part of Colombia’s golden generation that played in three consecutive FIFA World Cups™ (1990, 1994 and 1998), Freddy Rincón always played with a smile on his face. A commanding midfielder who amassed 85 caps for Los Cafeteros and netted 17 goals, “El Coloso” left an indelible mark on the game. 

His most memorable goal came in Colombia’s 1990 FIFA World Cup group-stage encounter against West Germany at Milan’s San Siro. Having comfortably kept the Europeans at bay for 88 minutes, the Colombians were facing heartbreak when Pierre Littbarski struck, but Rincón slotted home an injury‑time leveller to book the South Americans’ spot in the last 16 after a 28-year absence from the tournament. 

Rincón also notched a brace in Colombia’s famed 1994 FIFA World Cup 5-0 qualifying win over Argentina in Buenos Aires in 1993.

Widely considered one of the greatest free-kick takers of all time, boasting a devastating ability to turn games in his team’s favour from set pieces, Siniša Mihajlović represented Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro with distinction on 67 occasions. During a 12-year international career, he plundered ten goals and featured at the 1998 FIFA World Cup France™.

At club level, Mihajlović shone for FK Vojvodina and the Crvena zvezda side that secured European Cup glory in the 1990-1991 campaign before claiming the Intercontinental Cup crown a few months later.

He plied his trade in Italian football between 1992 and 2006, turning out for AS Roma and Sampdoria, while subsequent spells with Lazio and Internazionale brought Serie A title success. It was during his time in Italy that Mihajlović established himself as one of the most iconic defenders in the game, with his hat-trick of free kicks in Lazio’s 5-2 league victory over Sampdoria on 13 December 1998 representing a particularly memorable feat, as he became the first-ever player to hit a trio of free-kick goals in a single game.

A powerful defender who spent the bulk of his career with AS Magenta in his native New Caledonia, André Sinédo was capped 27 times by his national team during a career that yielded seven league titles and six Caledonian Cup crowns.

“Eder”, as he was nicknamed, passed away suddenly at the age of 44 and was head coach of the AS Magenta U-18 team at the time of his passing.