Pele has been praised over the decades by everyone from world leaders to artists. Here are superlatives from over the years about Pele, who died Thursday in Brazil at age 82:

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"To watch him play was to watch the delight of a child combined with the extraordinary grace of a man in full." — Nelson Mandela.

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"I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong." — Italy's Tarcisio Burgnich, after playing against Pele in the 1970 World Cup Final.

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"Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory: Instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will ha...