Daughter who Pelé denied existed has been named in his will

Pelé’s secret daughter was named in his will before he died.

Pelé – real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento - died on December 29 following a cancer diagnosis in 2021, but before he died, his two grandsons visited him in hospital a day earlier.

This fulfilled a lasting wish of the late great Santos and Brazil player, who had never met the pair before.

That’s because he had long rejected the notion that their mother Sandra Regina Machado was actually his daughter.

In fact, she died before her father acknowledged her 17 years ago, but has still been named as one of the beneficiaries of Pelé’s will, along with his other children.

Wikipedia

This means that Sandra’s portion will pass to her two sons, who only met their grandfather as he lay in his bed at the hospital he later died in.

Pelé had wished to meet Octavio Felinto Neto and Gabriel Arantes do Nascimento before he passed away, and the three did eventually meet up on December 28.

Speaking about the meeting, Gabriel told Mirror Online: “I thank God for providing this moment, it was what my mother dreamed of most.

“I spoke to my aunts, and they said that our grandfather wanted to see us.

“We were very excited, it was an opportunity we had been waiting for.

“Every family has fights and rows, ours is no different, but there are moments when union and love are more important than anything else.

“We are extremely happy.”

Sandra was born in 1964 after an affair between Pelé and his cleaner Anisio Machado.

For years, Pelé refused to admit that he was Sandra’s father, but a DNA test and a subsequent court ruling in 1991 proved that he was.

Pelé was worth an estimated £13 million at the time of his death, which will be divided between his seven children.

Mark Thomas/Alamy Stock Photo

The global football superstar – who is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time – had three children with his first wife, Kelly, Edinho, and Jennifer, then twins – Joshua and Celeste – with his second wife, and another daughter called Flavia, who was from another affair that he had.

In the aftermath of his death, Pelé’s official Instagram page shared a statement that read: "Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today.

“On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love.

“His message today becomes a legacy for future generations.

“Love, love and love, forever."