The world's greatest footballer - what other way is there to describe the Brazilian master, Pele? But who would have thought that Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, born to a poor family in Tres Coracos in 1940, would become the player against whom all others are measured?
Taught the game by his father, his prodigious talent was soon recognised and at the age of 11 he was taken to Sao Paulo by one of the country's leading players, Waldemar de Brito. Scoring on his debut at 16, he was soon drafted into the national team, with whom he went to the first of his four World Cups, at the age of just 17.
Speed, strength, balance, vision, heading, shooting - Pele was blessed with every possible footballing attribute. Statistics often tell only half the story, but 1,280 career goals, including 97 for Brazil, is a truly astounding tally and goes some way to demonstrating what a unique player he was.
Perhaps his finest moment came in 1970 when he led a Brazil team, widely considered the best ever assembled, to victory at the 1970 World Cup. Their dazzling play, with Pele at the heart of everything, was like nothing ever seen before and the opposition was simply blown away. The crowning glory came in the final when he scored Brazil's 100th World Cup goal.
Own a Piece of Sporting History
In the group stage of the 1970 World Cup finals, holders England met favourites Brazil. The game has gone down in history as one of the great world cup contests, played out between two talented teams, each packed with stars.
Brazil won the game 1-0 with a Jarzinho goal, in what turned out to be an incredibly close contest, more akin to a final. It also featured perhaps the greatest save of all time (Gordon Banks from a Pele header) and a stunning tackle by Bobby Moore on Pele.
At the end of the game, Moore and Pele exchanged shirts and were captured in the immortal image featured in this print. Now you can own one of the most famous football images, signed by the greatest footballer in the world.
Personally Signed
The print has been personally signed by Pele.
Strictly Limited Edition
Only 650, hand-numbered copies of this print will ever be produced. Once they have sold, no more will ever be produced.
Authenticity Guaranteed
This print has been independently authenticated by Grant Thornton using the Authenticate process. This means you can be 100% certain that the print is a strictly limited edition of 650 copies and that each one has been personally signed by Pele.
