Connect with us

Sports

Brazil’s iconic Maracana stadium to be named after Pele

Published

on

Maracana, the iconic stadium in Brazil, is set to be named in honour of Brazilian football legend, Pele, reports from the South-American country say.

The decision was taken after a vote by the Rio de Janeiro state legislature to change the venue’s name to the Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Rei Pele stadium.

The Maracana stadium would be officially be renamed after the Rio de Janeiro’s state governor approves the name change.

Read Also: Ronaldo hails Juve teammates after surpassing Pele’s goal tally in Udinese win

80-year-old Pele, who won three World Cups as a player for Brazil, scored his 1,000th goal at the Maracana, where the 1950 and 2014 World Cup finals were held.

The stadium also hosted the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games, and currently serves as the home ground of club sides Flamengo and Fluminense.

Initially the stadium was named after Mario Filho, a journalist who lobbied for its construction in the 1940s, but would later be known as the Maracana after the area in which it is located.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now