FIFA said Pele was simply “immortal” after the Brazil legend, named by world football’s governing body as the greatest player of the 20th century, died on Thursday aged 82.

“For everyone who loves the beautiful game, this is the day we never wanted to come. The day we lost Pele,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

“Today, we all mourn the loss of the physical presence of our dear Pele, but he achieved immortality a long time ago and therefore he will be with us for eternity.”

Pele is the only footballer to have won three FIFA World Cups.

He was just 17 when he won with Brazil in Sweden in 1958. Pele won the World Cup again in Chile in 1962, despite being forced out of much of the tournament due to injury.

He lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy for the third and final time in Mexico in 1970.

“Pele: immortal — forever with us,” FIFA said on its website.

Infantino said Pele was unique, as he sent his condolences to his family, Brazil and all football fans.

“His skill and imagination were incomparable. Pele did things that no other player would even dream of,” Infantino said.

“Most importantly, ‘The King’ rose the throne with a smile on his face. Football could be brutal in those days, and Pele was often on the receiving end of some rough treatment.

“But, while he knew how to stand up for himself, he was always an exemplary sportsman, with genuine respect for his opponents.”

Infantino added: “Pele had a magnetic presence and, when you were with him, the rest of the world stopped. His life is about more than football. He changed perceptions for the better in Brazil, in South America and across the world.”

FIFA noted that he was the youngest-ever world champion — not to mention the youngest scorer, youngest hat-trick scorer, youngest finalist and youngest player to score in a final in World Cup history.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who led world football’s governing body from 1998 to 2015, called Pele the greatest player ever.

“The world mourns the greatest footballer in history and a wonderful personality. He celebrated the game like no other,” Blatter said on Twitter.

“Dear Pele, I am immensely sad and honour you and your life’s work. My sincere condolences to your family and friends.”

Meanwhile European football’s governing body UEFA praised Pele for his part in football’s popularity.

“He was the first global superstar of the game. Rest in peace, Pele.”

AFP

As he considers his next move in the heavyweight category, Anthony Joshua has acknowledged that he is "out of the championship title race."

When "AJ" last competed in August, he lost by decision to Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in a row and was unable to win back the WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO championships.

Tyson Fury then offered Joshua a crack at the WBC title, but the Britons were unable to reach a deal over what would have been the most significant heavyweight match in recent memory. Instead, Fury fought Derek Chisora a third time, defeating his countryman by TKO to maintain his perfect record.

Joshua, 33, has in the meanwhile been connected to a possible rematch with Dillian Whyte, who AJ defeated in a 2015 professional bout but lost to as an amateur.

“I like to see my name constantly mentioned among other fighters,” Joshua told The Sun this week.

A deal has been struck for Liverpool to sign PSV Eindhoven attacker Cody Gakpo.

Upon receipt of a work visa and international clearance, the 23-year-old international from the Netherlands will join Liverpool when the transfer market opens on January 1.

The 23-year-old, who scored three goals in five appearances at the World Cup in Qatar, will cost the Reds between £35 million and £45 million.

Gakpo, who had his physical on Merseyside on Wednesday afternoon, is said to have reached an agreement on a contract that would last until 2028, with his move pending the approval of a work visa.

“I feel really good, I'm really excited to be here. I'm looking forward to starting training and start playing for this amazing club," Gakpo told the official club website.

“I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years."

Liverpool coach, Jurgen Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com: "There is a lot to like about Cody. He is still only 23 years old but he already has a lot of experience.

“He was the captain of PSV, he was the Player of the Year in Holland last season and, as a lot of people have just seen, he also had a great World Cup with his national team.

“So, it is clear that he is already a really, really good player but his age also means he also has the potential to become even better.

“Offensively, he is very versatile and on top of this we know he is a smart footballer and also a smart person, so we are really excited to be able to work with him.”

Gbenga Elegbeleye, the chairman of the Nigeria Professional Football League's (NPFL) interim management committee, said that the league winners will get a N100 million cash award.

In contrast to the Rivers State Club, who have yet to receive the promised N50m, Elegbeleye vowed that the winner will get what was promised.

The squad from Port Harcourt won the championship in July after concluding the regular season with 77 points, breaking the previous league record of 73 points.

The best club in the nation, Rivers United, ended the season with 10 points more than Plateau United after winning 23 and drawing eight of their 38 games.

In a radio broadcast, Elegbeleye said as quoted by Punch, "We pledged to offer assistance to the clubs via our sponsors, and we will do that. Recall that we had a four-team preseason competition where the winning club received N100 million and each club received N10 million as participation money. Therefore, what we say, we also execute, and the winner of this season will once again get N100m, he stated.

The Rivers state team, which won the most recent NPFL tournament, has not yet received its cash present, he said, and this would not happen this time because they want to keep their half of the bargain.