Football fans from around the world – from Brazil to Bolton, Plymouth and Lymm – on their encounters with the great man
Last modified on Sat 7 Jan 2023 09.08 GMTI used to work in an exclusive part of Mayfair. The building was shared with numerous other businesses and we occupied the top floor. One Friday evening, my workmate and I were the last to leave our office. We locked up and, rather than taking the lift like usual, we decided to walk down the winding staircase. About halfway down, we encountered a little guy, greying on top, who appeared to be loitering awkwardly in the stairwell.
When I was a kid growing up in Salford, my grandad was an amateur referee. During the World Cup in 1966, he said: “You’ve got a surprise on Sunday. Be up and dressed for 8am.” On the weekends, coaches would take us to Blackpool or Southport for a day of toffee apples, candy floss or to watch Manchester United train on the beach – grandad used to know when and where they would be training.
Pelé was huge. Everybody knew his name whether they were a football fan or not. I suppose he was up there with Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan as far as worldwide recognition goes. Despite this, my memories are of a softly spoken man with a big smile.
At the end of our match, I walked off the field towards the changing rooms and there was Pelé, Carlos Alberto and Edu knocking a ball around. I stopped for a moment and thought: “Those guys were watching us play.” It was the most surreal event of my life and one I shall never forget. Pelé was in great demand as he had only just arrived in New York but he agreed to my interview and told me to come back the next day when we would speak again after training. As bad luck would have it, it was raining the following day and the players trained in the drizzle. Two TV crews from the major US networks interviewed Pelé in the rain before filming him doing trick shots. The whole thing took about an hour, by which time everyone else had gone home.
That was as close as I ever got to the great man but he left a memory that will stay with me for ever. Every time I have smelled liniment from that day on, I have been reminded of the day the great man cried right in front of my young eyes.I designed Puma’s kits for the 2006 World Cup, including for winners Italy. We also designed a collection with Pelé, recreating the Puma items he wore during his career.
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