The 'King' and the Queen: Bewitched by Pele, Elizabeth II made him a Knight

Known as “O Rei,” or “The King,” Pelé died on Thursday at the age of 82 after a battle with colon cancer, less than four months after Britain's longest-reigning monarch passed away aged 96.

Pelé, who scored a goal in the friendly match that brought together the top players from the state of Sao Paulo and the best players of Rio de Janeiro, recalled the game when the queen died on September 8.

He said on Twitter he had admired Elizabeth ever since the first time he saw her in person, when “she came to Brazil to witness our love for football and experienced the magic of a packed Maracanã.”

Years later, in 1997, the queen honoured Pelé with an honorary knighthood of the British Empire. He remembered the moment in an Instagram post in 2017 when he thanked “all the British people for their affection”.

After the news of his death on Thursday, London's Wembley Stadium was lit up in the yellow and green colours of Brazil with a sign reading his name. The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a picture of the tribute on social media.