There was a message to the three million followers on Pele's official Twitter account, too: 'Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. Love, love and love, forever.'
The joint report by Global Witness and Transparency International urged the European Union to set standards for managing the schemes and to extend anti-money laundering rules, applied so far to banks or gaming firms, to all those involved in the visa-for-sale industry.
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"Everyone who knows me, knows about my never ending love for Manchester United. The years I spent in this club where absolutely amazing and the path we've made together is written in gold letters in the history of this great and amazing institution," he wrote on Instagram website
"If you have a lot of money that you acquired through dubious means, securing a new place to call home far away from the place you stole from isn't just appealing, it's sensible," Naomi Hirst of rights group Global Witness said.
All the countries who run these schemes, except Britain, Cyprus, Ireland and Bulgaria, are part of the Schengen free-movement area which comprises 26 European states. ($1 = 0.8708 euros) (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Alison Williams)
Government schemes to trade citizenship or residence rights for large investment are currently applied in 13 EU countries: Austria, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, Greece, Latvia, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Britain, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and France. Hungary has terminated its programme.
MANCHESTER, England, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo declared he was back where he belonged after he re-joined Manchester United from Juventus on a two-year deal on Tuesday, with the forward dedicating the move to his mentor Alex Ferguson.
He spent six seasons at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009, where he won the Ballon d'Or as the world's best player in 2008 alongside his team accolades, before sealing a then world record 80 million pounds ($110 million) move to Real Madrid.
BRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Wednesday it will provide guidance to EU states on how to manage national schemes to sell passports and residency permits to wealthy foreign citizens, as campaigners and lawmakers warned of money laundering risks.
The European Commission will publish a report on schemes in EU countries by the end of the year, commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said on Wednesday. He said the report would offer guidance to member states on managing the programmes, "including on necessary background checks for applicants".
"Poorly managed schemes allow corrupt individuals to work and travel unhindered throughout the EU and undermine our collective security," Laure Brillaud, anti-money laundering expert at Transparency International, said.
He then went on to capture two LaLiga and four Champions League titles with Real Madrid, as well as four further Ballon d'Or awards, ending his stint at the Spanish club as their all-time top scorer with 451 goals.
EU states generated around 25 billion euros in foreign direct investment in a decade from selling at least 6,000 passports and nearly 100,000 residency permits, the report said using what it called conservative estimates.
Cyprus has raised 4.8 billion euros ($5.51 billion) from its scheme, while Portugal could earn nearly a billion euros a year, according to figures cited in the report, called "European Getaway - Inside the Murky World of Golden Visas".
"My first domestic League, my first Cup, my first call to the Portuguese National team, my first Champions League, my first Golden Boot and my first Ballon d´Or, they were all born from this special connection between me and the Red Devils," added Ronaldo, who spent the last 12 years winning a glut of trophies at Real Madrid and Juventus.
The report said in Malta, which has raised 718 million euros from its scheme, applicants who have criminal records or are under investigation could still be considered eligible "in special circumstances".
Juve said the transfer fee agreed was 15 million euros ($17.74 million) plus eight million euros in performance-related add-ons as Ronaldo returns to the club where he won eight major trophies from 2003-2009.
United announced that they had agreed a deal with Juventus website to bring the 36-year-old back to Manchester last week, with the transfer now complete after the Portuguese forward passed a medical, secured a visa and agreed personal terms.