Pelé, the legendary soccer player from Brazil, died today at the age of 82 after a long fight with cancer. Pelé played for over three decades and led Brazil to victory at the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970. What many people may not know is that he was the partial namesake of Samus Aran – her surname was derived from Pelé’s birth name, Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Hiroji Kiyotake, who created Samus, is a massive fan of soccer. This tidbit was revealed in a 2004 interview with the Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream (as translated by the Metroid Database).

On behalf of the team at Shinesparkers, we offer our condolences to Pelé’s family, friends and fans during this devastating time, and we will remember his passion for soccer, as well as his contribution to Metroid.

Source: The Washington Post