United’s honorary president David Dent is one of many to pay tribute to Pele – a man widely regarded as the best footballer the world has ever seen – having met the great man twice, once when he was working with Coventry City and on a second occasion in his capacity as secretary of the Football League.
“Pele is one of the all-time great footballers,” David told us. “He played most of his football in his native Brazil. He began playing for Santos at the age of 15 and the Brazil national team at 16.
“He is the only player ever to have won three World Cups – 1958 when he was 17, then in 1962 and 1970. I had the pleasure of meeting him twice.
“The first time was in New York in 1970 and the second was in London in 1987.
“Shortly after I moved from Carlisle to Coventry City, in 1978, we signed a player called Steve Hunt, a forward, from New York Cosmos. As part of the deal it was agreed that we would play a friendly against Cosmos in New York.
“That match took place the following year on 16 May 1979 at the Giants’ Stadium in New Jersey. Cosmos won 3-1 in front of more than 30,000 spectators.
“The club had been co-founded in the early 1970’s by Ahmet Ertegun, a Turkish/American businessman, song writer and philanthropist, and his brother Nesuhi. They were involved with Warner Communications.
“The night before the match we were invited to dinner by the two brothers in the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Centre – one of the buildings destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in which nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.
“Pele, who had played for Cosmos towards the end of his career, was also in attendance and he presented us all with a souvenir Cosmos mug, which I still have.”
“On 8 August 1987, the Football League played the Rest of the World at Wembley Stadium as part of the League’s Centenary Celebrations, which spanned the 1987/88 season,” he continued. “The game was preceded the previous evening by a dinner at the Dorchester Hotel, attended by world football dignitaries.
“Pele was Guest of Honour at both functions. He was being accommodated at the Savoy Hotel in the Strand and it was my responsibility to get him to and from both events.
“As a little ‘thank you’ he gave me a signed photograph.
“I will never forget the circumstance which resulted in us keeping the dinner guests waiting. It had been arranged that I would collect him from his hotel. I arrived in good time and although I spoke to him a number of times from the reception desk, by phone, I could not get him to leave his room until something like 45 minutes after our scheduled departure time.
“From the hotel forecourt our limousine turned into the Strand, which we subsequently found to be almost at a standstill with the amount of traffic. We were in the middle of three lanes with vehicles on both sides.
“Suddenly Pele was recognised – taxi windows started opening and he was signing autographs through the windows on both sides of the limo, much to the annoyance of the drivers of the cars around us.
“Eventually we arrived at the Dorchester Hotel – very late indeed – and the proceedings could commence.”
Our thoughts are with the family, loved ones and friends of Pele at this very sad time.
