SANTOS, Brazil (AP) — As the FIFA World Cup approaches, the image of one of Brazil's most recognizable footballers lives on in Santos, the one-time home of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, far better known as Pelé.
Tourists like Mario Álvarez Gamiño, a 67-year-old retired salesperson from Mexico, flock to Santos to see anything that connects the Brazilian port city to the man. The soccer legend's legacy is everywhere — in vibrant murals by street artist Eduardo Kobra, among the memorabilia of his beloved club and even on posters glued to local lampposts.
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People visit the Pele Museum in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Children visit the Pele Museum in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Santos fans walk past a mural of late football legend Pele, right, and Neymar outside Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Santos' Vila Belmiro stadium sits in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
A man sits in front of a mural of late football legend Pele and Neymar at a restaurant in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
“His legacy is fundamental. His life will always be an example to follow,” Álvarez said. “At the moment we have Cristiano Ronaldo ... but he lacks something that Pelé had, which is humility. ... He was really a genius.”
Pelé, who died in 2022 at age 82, played at Santos Futebol Clube for most of his career, from 1956 to 1974. He also played for Brazil's team in the World Cup — including three wins in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
Santos is also home to the Pelé Museum, where fans can learn more about Pelé's life and see various memorabilia, including jerseys and trophies.
“When you tell a foreigner you’re from Santos, the first thing they say is ‘Pelé’. That’s why we at the museum have a great responsibility: to carry the name of Pelé and the city of Santos,” said museum director Paulo Monteiro. "After his death, we now have a greater and more difficult mission, which is to keep his legacy active and alive.”
Many of the more than 400,000 residents of Santos never had the chance to see Pelé in action, but they want the legacy to live on.
Among them is bar owner Anderson Albino.
“As local business owners, we see how much international media comes here and how that draws huge numbers of visitors,” Albino said. “For those of us from the city, it’s a privilege that Pelé played for Santos.”
Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
People visit the Pele Museum in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Children visit the Pele Museum in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Santos fans walk past a mural of late football legend Pele, right, and Neymar outside Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Santos' Vila Belmiro stadium sits in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
A man sits in front of a mural of late football legend Pele and Neymar at a restaurant in Santos, Brazil, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
CAIRO (AP) — Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran on Sunday in a fresh bid to restart negotiations between Iran and the U.S., as the American military said it shot down two more Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz that threatened international maritime traffic.
The latest action came as the U.S. administration presses Iran to make a deal to end the war in the Middle East, which has strained the global economy and threatened a hunger crisis in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.
The heaviest fighting ended with a preliminary ceasefire on April 8, but the sides have not been able to agree on a long-term end to the war.
Fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah continued, meanwhile, despite last week's announcement that a U.S.-brokered ceasefire had been extended.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is in Tehran to deliver a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to Iranian state-run IRNA news agency.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was named the Islamic Republic’s ruler after his father was killed on the first day of the war on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel lauched a bombardment campaign against Iran.
Naqvi met with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni late Saturday, and held talks Sunday morning with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to official Iranian media.
There were no details on the contents of the message. Pakistani authorities have said Islamabad, with support from regional countries including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, has been working to help bridge differences between the United States and Iran and encourage efforts aimed at reducing tensions and ensuring the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the new ceasefire in Lebanon, which was announced during U.S-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington last week, did not appear to be holding.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah has rejected the U.S.-brokered deal and instead endorsed Iran’s demand that ending the war in Lebanon be part of the negotiations with the U.S.
Israel struck what it said were over 150 Hezbollah military sites over the weekend, including rocket launchers and command centers, across southern Lebanon.
Early Sunday, Israel identified at least five projectiles launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel, which were intercepted or fell in open areas. Hezbollah did not immediately claim to have fired projectiles at Israel. However, the militant group acknowledged it attacked Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Saturday, the Israeli military said.
The fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south in its latest ground invasion, threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for oil and gas. Its closure has jolted the world economy.
Iran has demanded that any lasting truce extend to Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections later this year, wants to press ahead with Israel’s offensive until he considers Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.
Lebanon’s army commander, Gen. Rodolphe Haikal, headed to Pakistan Saturday at the invitation of Pakistan’s army chief. The Lebanese army gave no further details and did not say whether it is related to Pakistan’s mediation between Iran and the U.S.
The U.S. military said Saturday that it had shot down several Iranian missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies, and struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response.
“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the Ali Al Salem air base, which hosts U.S. forces in Kuwait, and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
The U.S. military said there were no reports of harm to U.S. personnel.
Earlier in the month, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and wounding dozens.
The U.S. military has kept up its blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s grip on the strait, a crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments.
Energy prices have spiked, posing political problems for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of midterm congressional elections in November.
Chehayeb reported from Beirut and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel.
A man walks past anti-U.S. graffiti painted on the wall of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
People walk under a banner showing portraits of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and the slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
