Brazil will kick off the Dorival Júnior era against England at Wembley, the mythical stadium where Pelé never got to play. According to his own words, that was one of the biggest debts of his successful career. “I don’t have many regrets as a footballer, but I would have liked to play at Wembley at least once, even in a friendly,” he said in a 2018 social media post.
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Playing at Wembley, one of the only pending tasks for O Rei
Winner of three World Cups and with over 90 appearances for the Brazilian national team, Edson Arantes do Nascimento never played a match in the mythical London stadium he called “the cathedral of football”. Although he was part of the squad that participated in the 1966 World Cup in England, the three matches of the group stage in which the Seleção was eliminated took place at Goodison Park, the home of Everton in the city of Liverpool. At the club level, Pelé spent almost his entire career at Santos, except for his final years at the New York Cosmos. Not having played in Europe also deprived him of the opportunity to play a match at Wembley.
Despite this, the Brazilian star did manage to kick a ball and even score a goal there. Before the demolition in 2003, which led to its reopening four years later, Pelé was chosen to participate in a charity event at the stadium alongside Gordon Banks, the English goalkeeper who made the so-called “Save of the Century” against O Rei in the 1970 World Cup.
Wembley also paid tribute to the Brazilian star upon his death on December 29, 2022. Its traditional arch was illuminated that night with the green and yellow colors of the Brazilian flag: “His unique talent illuminated football and inspired the world,” the stadium’s official social media account stated.
