Pele denied daughter during his lifetime, but still included her in hefty will
Brazilian superstar Edson Arantes do Nascimento “Pele”, popularly regarded as the best soccer player to have ever lived, recently passed away, and now new details about his life continue to emerge, this time thanks to his will.
Pele always denied being the father of Sandra Regina, even after a DNA test ruling from the court proved that she was indeed his daughter, refusing to acknowledge her still.
But now, with his death, his will has been opened and he left his estate to all seven of his children, including her.
Sandra Regina was born in 1964 after her mother, Anisio Machado, had an affair with Pele while she was his cleaner.
She died 17 years ago, without knowing that his father would one day consider her as one of his children.
One of Pele’s last wishes was to meet Sandra Regina’s two sons, his grandsons, Gabriel Arantes do Nascimento and Octavio Felinto Neto.
Pele got to meet them on December 28, a day before his death, but Gabriel nevertheless was grateful for that moment, which was one of his mother’s biggest dreams, and explained how he felt when his aunts told them their grandfather wanted to see them.
“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.”
(Vanguard)
