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A large statue of soccer great Pelé was unveiled Thursday in the Mexican city of Guadalajara to commemorate his achievements with the Brazilian national team.
Pelé, who died at the age of 82 in 2022, won one of his three World Cup titles in Mexico in the 1970 edition of the tournament.
“This monumental figure of this great player, who played here and scored a great goal, is a great gift for the people of Jalisco and for all visitors,” said the governor of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus. “Pelé loved Guadalajara and the Brazilian team fell in love because the Mexican public gave them everything in 1970.”
May 21, 2026, Mexico, Guadalajara: Inauguration of the sculpture “La Canarinha” in honor of the Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento (“Pelé”) in front of the Jalisco Stadium. Guadalajara, host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, pays tribute to Pelé on the eve of upcoming sporting events with this more than nine-metre-high statue in Plaza Brasil. Photo: Fernando Carranza García/dpa (Photo by Fernando Carranza García/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
The 9.5 meter tall (31 ft) statue is located in a public plaza called Plaza Brasil outside the Jalisco Stadium, which hosted matches in the 1970 and 1986 World Cups. For their 1970 title run, Brazil played their first round, quarterfinal and semi-final matches at the stadium before beating Italy in the final at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
“People who come to the Jalisco Stadium now will stop to take photographs. This statue will be a landmark, especially because it represents a soccer star like Pelé,” Lemus said. “It’s a great gift for the World Cup.”
In the 2026 World Cup, Guadalajara will host four first round matches: South Korea vs. Czech Republic on June 12; Mexico against South Korea on June 18, Colombia against Congo on June 23 and Uruguay against Spain on June 26.
Information from The Associated Press.
