Brazil legend, Pele, joined those paying tribute to the life of the late, great Muhammad Ali, revealing that the sporting icon told him “football is more beautiful than boxing, but I’m more beautiful than you”.

Ali had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 32 years before his death on Friday night, surrounded by family in Phoenix, Arizona. The family spokesman, Bob Gunnell, confirmed that the boxing great was admitted into hospital on Monday with a respiratory condition, and passed away at 9.10pm local time four days later.

Tributes have since flooded in for Ali, who transcended his sport in more ways than one, becoming an inspiration for a generation in the 1960s and 70s. In football, Pele was arguably of a similar stature in that period, spearheading the attack of the great Brazilian teams on the international stage.

The 75-year-old, who won three World Cups with the Selecao, was good friends with Ali, and paid his own tribute while in Manchester at an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s humanitarian aid charity Human Appeal.

“He used to say he was my brother,” Pele told reporters. “We had many opportunities to be together in time… we worked together for children in Unicef. He once told me, ‘Football is more beautiful than boxing, but I am more beautiful than you’.

“I saw him last year. We went to his house, we did an interview for a hospital in Brazil – a children’s hospital I work for.”
Pele then took to Instagram and posted the following message:

‘The sporting universe has just suffered a big loss. Muhammad Ali was my friend, my idol, my hero. We spent many moments together and always kept a good connection throughout the years. The sadness is overwhelming. I wish him peace with God. And I send love and strength to his family. // O universo do esporte sofre uma grande perda. Muhammad Ali era meu amigo, meu idolo, meu heroi. Passamos muitos momentos juntos e sempre mantivemos contatos todos esses anos. A tristeza é enorme. Desejo que ele descanse junto a Deus e amor e força à sua familia. #RIP @muhammadali.’
•Culled from www.squawka.com