Pelé’s younger brother dies: in the shadow of ‘O Rei’ in Santos

Jair Arantes do Nascimento “Zoca”, Pelé's younger brother and who played for a short period at Santos, passed away at the age of 77, reported this Thursday the Brazilian club. Zoca, born on July 22, 1942, was fighting prostate cancer and was admitted to a hospital in Santos, on the coast of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. He tried to follow in his brother's footsteps in the Albinegro team in the early 1960s, but soon gave up after playing just 15 games and scoring four goals.

Subsequently, he became an advisor to the triple world champion, who managed some of his companies.

“Jair Arantes do Nascimento, 'Zoca', brother of our King (Pelé), died on Wednesday night, at the age of 77. Zoca came to perform at the Peixao base when he was younger. Our condolences to our idol Pelé and all your beloved family. Rest in peace, Zoca, “Santos announced on his social networks.

The Brazilian club reported that a wake will be held at the Acropolis Ecumenical Memorial Cemetery in Santos. The act will be restricted to very few people to respect the quarantine in force in the entire state of Sao Paulo to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Pelé, who will turn 80 in October and has mobility problems, is not used to attending funerals.

In March 2019, the Brazilian star did not go to the wake of former soccer player Antonio Wilson Vieira Honório, better known as Coutinho, his best partner in Santos and a teammate, with whom he won the 1962 World Cup.

In February of this year, Pelé reaffirmed that he is in good health after his son Edinho revealed in an interview to a local outlet that his father is homebound and suffers from “a certain depression”.