Born into extreme poverty, Brazilian football legend Pelé was able to turn his life around (and his family’s) through his sensational ability on the pitch from a very young age. He signed his first professional soccer contract in 1956 at the age of 15 with prestigious Brazilian club, Santos F.C. The following year, at age 16, he would join the Brazil National Team. During his prolific international career, Pelé won three FIFA World Cup titles (1958, 1962 and 1970) – the only player ever to do so. He is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil with 77 career goals in 91 caps and remains the GOAT among most soccer pundits.
This lot features Pele’s autographed and game-worn Brazil jersey dating to 1970, his second-to-last season with the National Team and the year he led his team squad to their third World Cup title in the previous four tournaments. Although the exact international match in which Pelé donned this iconic No. 10 Brazil shirt is unknown, it displays heavy wear with sweat staining and pilling clearly visible on the cotton material. This important jersey originates from the personal collection of fellow legendary footballer, Garrincha (Manuel Francisco dos Santos), widely considered Brazil’s second greatest player ever to don the yellow and green jersey. The famed right winger, who many say is soccer’s greatest dribble of all time, and Pelé were teammates on Brazil’s ’58 and ’62 World Cup champion squads as well as the 1966 team that fell short of a three-peat. Garrincha was gifted the shirt by Pelé after his retirement from the game. He passed away in 1983 before his 50th birthday and it ended up in his daughter’s collection, who has signed an enclosed letter.
The yellow shirt, with a green-ribbed collar and sleeves, includes a “CBD” (Confederação Brasileira de Desportos or Brazilian Sport Confederation, predecessor of the current Brazilian Football Confederation) embroidered patch over the left chest. Sewn on the reverse in green is Pelé’s famous number 10. Proper “ATHLETA” manufacturer’s tagging appears on the inner collar with size large (“G”) indicated. Pelé has signed the right upper chest in slightly faded black marker. The jersey comes with a letter of authentication from MEARS and a COA from Beckett for the autograph. As mentioned, a letter of provenance from Garrincha’s daughter is also included. One of the finest Pelé shirts we’ve ever offered.