It was like a bolt from the blue, an electric shock when I learnt that the king of football - Pele will be arriving in Sao Paulo FC to launch his video blog ‘Real Pele’ and the thought of a potential possibility of meeting the living legend gave me instant goosebumps. I was in hot pursuit immediately to catch a first-hand view of the three time World Cup winner and therefore Sao Paulo FC’s stadium became my destination to experience the history of the club as well as to meet Pele. The manager of the event cordially welcomed me to the programme and I would be lying if I say I expected such a cordial welcome. Perhaps the event management firm did not make the event open for all as only around 20 print and electronic media personnels were present on the occasion and needless to say, even a thousand presence was not something impossible if it were an open event.
The programme was scheduled to begin at 11:00 pm and he arrived at the venue about 15 minutes early and apart from the organizers, there was nobody at the entrance of the stadium. Pele took time and the programme started at 11:25. The sudden burst of movement around the podium signaled the icon’s immediate ascend to the podium to take his seat.
Nicely clad in a black leather shirt and ash colored trousers with strapped leather shoes, Pele steadily walked towards the podium. The gold-made chain and the cross in the black background was looking royal. At the age of 74, he looked quite fit but his slow steps could hardly hide his senility. He is five feet eight inches tall but appeared a little short due to age as he moved carefully with that trademark smile all over his face.
His daughter Kelly helped him to sit on the chair. Pele greeted the audience by raising his hands and the presenter welcomed him in a different way. He read out an excerpt from the book written on Pele back in 1970 and the king was smiling with the gesture.
He was enjoying the procedure, his fingers and the feet were tapping with the rhythm of the music as he carefully watched a video clip featuring him during the 1970 World Cup. He looked a little shy when the big screens displayed the pre-shooting lapses and whispered something to Kelly. Grace was there, dignity was there and of course the atmosphere was taken over by an air of respect as the audience remained glued to their seats and those who were standing remained firm.
His accent was royal and his tone was pleasing. He conversed fluently in both Portuguese and English. I could not resist myself to take the microphone and ask him a question. So I introduced myself and Pele looked at me sharply when he heard the name Bangladesh. Finally I asked the great man to compare the football of his time and the current time. I also sought Kelly’s assistance to make him understand my question as I was not elaborating it in Portuguese.
However, to my utter surprise, Pele started his reply in English and it was clear, slow and every word appeared perfect. “Football has not changed, the appeal and the language remain the same,” he opined. He also answered a few other questions in Portuguese. I learnt later that he warned Brazil against any complacency during the World Cup and asked the players to give their best by never underestimating any opponent.
He rose from his chair when he was presented a tiny gold crown and thanked the organizers. Holding Kelly’s hand, Pele slowly left the stage and around a thousand Brazilians had gathered at the entrance of the stadium by that time. Remember dear readers, it was empty when he arrived. Gracefully waving his hands, the King of football got inside the car and left.