Pele has congratulated fellow Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Marcelo for their contributions to Real Madrid s triumphant Champions League campaign, which he hailed as a beautiful adventure .
Vinicius converted Federico Valverde s cross in the 59th minute to fire Madrid to a 1-0 final win over Liverpool at the Stade de France, as Los Blancos were crowned European champions for a 14th time seven more occasions than any other team.
With his decisive strike, Vinicius became the first Brazilian player to score the winning goal in a Champions League final since Juliano Belletti did so for Barcelona against Arsenal in 2006, also in Paris.
The winger s sixth goal in the Champions League this season, combined with his previous four assists, made him the first South American aged 21 or younger to record 10 goal contributions in a single edition of the competition since Lionel Messi s 14 in 2008-09 (nine goals, five assists).
Historia que tú hiciste 14
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr)
Meanwhile, Marcelo lifted the trophy as club captain before announcing his departure from Madrid, having made more appearances for Los Blancos than any other non-Spanish player during his 15-year stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Writing on Instagram after the final, Brazil great Pele hailed his compatriots for their roles in Madrid s success, also praising man-of-the-match Thibaut Courtois and Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is the first coach to win the Champions League/European Cup four times.
That s why football is the most beautiful sport in the world. I got to see a dear friend, Vinicius, who overcame so many challenges to decide an epic game, Pele wrote.
I m delighted to see Marcelo be the first Brazilian to lift a Champions League trophy as captain.
I witnessed an impeccable goalkeeper, Courtois, make inexplicable saves, and a strategist coach, Ancelotti, who knew how to interpret the moment and use the best characteristics of his team.
Congratulations Real Madrid. What a beautiful adventure!
