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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 aged 82 in 2022, won one of his three World Cup titles in Mexico at 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 to the people of Jalisco and to all visitors,” said Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus. “Pelé loved Guadalajara and the Brazilian national team fell in love with it because the Mexican public gave them everything in 1970.”
May 21, 2026, Mexico, Guadalajara: Inauguration of the sculpture “La Canarinha” in honor of Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento (“Pelé”) in front of the Estadio Jalisco. Guadalajara, the site of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, honors Pelé in the run-up to the upcoming sporting events with this more than nine-meter high statue in Plaza Brasil. Photo: Fernando Carranza Garcia/dpa (Photo by Fernando Carranza Garcia/image alliance via Getty Images)
The 9.5 meter (31 ft) tall statue is located in a public square called Plaza Brazil outside the Jalisco Stadium, which hosted matches in the 1970 and 1986 World Cups. For its 1970 title run, Brazil played its first round, quarter-final and semi-final matches at the stadium before beating Italy in the final at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
“People coming to Jalisco Stadium now will stop to take pictures. This statue will be a landmark, especially since it depicts 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 against the Czech Republic on June 12; Mexico v South Korea on June 18, Colombia v Congo on June 23 and Uruguay v Spain on June 26.
Report from the Associated Press.
