Maracana set to be renamed after Pele
By Max Cooper
Brazil's most famous stadium, the Maracana, is set to be renamed in honour of the nation's football legend, Pele.
The 80-year-old is a national hero in Brazil, having won three World Cups during his career, and was long known as the greatest footballer to have ever played the game. He is a revolutionary icon of the sport, and it appears as if he is to be honoured for his brilliant achievements.
BBC Sport reports that a bill has been approved to change the name of the Maracana to the 'Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Rei Pele Stadium', as the country celebrates its sporting hero.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento is the legendary footballer's full name, while 'Rei' simply means 'King' in Portuguese. The renaming of the stadium is not completely confirmed just yet, however, as Rio de Janeiro's state governor must first approve the decision before it is finalised.
Pele enjoyed some memorable moments in that stadium during his career, scoring his 1,000th professional goal in the Maracana, while playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama. His achievements will go down in football folklore, and his heroics have recently been immortalised in the form of a Netflix documentary.
The Maracana, soon to be the King Pele Stadium, has borne witness to some of the most memorable moments in football history over the years, including the 1950 and 2014 World Cup finals.
Both years remain painful memories for Brazilians however, as reportedly more than 200,000 spectators packed into the stadium to watch Brazil lose the final to Uruguay in 1950, while the Seleção supporters were forced to watch Germany beat Argentina in the 2014 edition.
That result came after arguably the darkest moment in Brazil's international history, when they suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semi-finals, in the Mineirao Stadium.