It seems like it was yesterday, a year without 'O Rei'

Santos, where 'O Rei' triumphed, will play next year in Serie B, and the Seleçao closes 2023 with more defeats than victories and without having a replacement for Neymar. Edson Arantes do Nascimento entered the gallery of immortal myths a year ago, on December 29, 2022, when he died at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, considered the best medical center in Latin America, in Sao Paulo.

He did it in peace and comforted by those closest to him. Pelé was 82 years old and ended up dying from the consequences of colon cancer that he had been diagnosed with in September 2021. The death of the considered best footballer of all time created a global commotion, explaining, once again, that the king of kings of football was an iconic figure with a social impact that transcended the world of sports. From Pope Francis to Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden expressed their condolences.

Fulfilling his wish, his funeral took place at Vila Belmiro, the Santos stadium, where he began his career at the age of 15. More than 230,000 'torcedores' said goodbye to the player who turned the number '10' into a symbol of perfection, before being buried in a vertical cemetery in the city of Santos, on the coast of Sao Paulo, where his remains rest. . 365 days after his death, Brazilian football is immersed in an identity crisis, which is personalized in the two shirts that Pelé defended and elevated to the category of icon of good play: Santos and the Seleçao.

The 'Peixe', which was already considered the best team on the planet, has been relegated for the first time in its history in 2023. The shame of the Santistas is such that the new president of the entity, Marcelo Teixeira, has decided to withdraw the '10' shirt while the São Paulo team moves through Serie B. And the Brazilian team in 2023 is one more step in its free fall. It has been a year to forget, with more defeats than victories, which had not happened six decades ago. There have been nine friendlies and official qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup with only three wins, one draw and a win five times.

Brazil is losing the charm that 'O Rei' helped build

The instability of the 'canarinha' is a direct consequence of the sporting and institutional misgovernance promoted by the president of the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, now removed from office by a court in Rio de Janeiro. The leader has become obsessed with expecting from Carlo Ancelotti everything that is needed and, because of this, Brazil has had two interim coaches: first Ramon Menezes (he is the current U-20 and Olympic project coach) and, starting July, Fernando Diniz, who has signed until July 2024 and combines the position with that of coach of Fluminense, with whom he won the Copa Libertadores this year.