Known worldwide as Pelé and considered “the King” in Brazil and by his fans around the globe, Edson Arantes do Nascimento went down as one of the most iconic athletes in sports history.
Widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest footballer of all time, what not many people know about the Santos legend played more than once as goalkeeper. Strange as it may sound, the Brazilian icon wore the gloves on four occasions throughout his career.
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Santos 4-2 Comercial: 1959
One year after winning his first World Cup at 17, a young Pelé was already chasing glory with Santos. Willing to do anything to achieve that, he dared to play between the sticks for the first time on November 4, 1959, in a match against Comercial in the Campeonato Paulista.
Though he knew the role from practice, doing it in an official game was quite a challenge. However, he handled it with ease: in the same game he scored, the King eventually replaced keeper Lalá, who asked to be subbed out due to a headache. According to an article in Correio Paulistano, Pelé had a good performance and made several saves to keep a clean sheet.
Santos 4-3 Grêmio: 1964
In an even more challenging scenario, Pelé did not hesitate to put on the gloves again. It was for the second leg of the 1963 Taça Brasil semifinal against Grêmio. Peixe had won the first leg 3-1 in Porto Alegre, and the King once again stood out in the rematch with a hat-trick. Six minutes from the end, Gilmar was sent off for protesting, and once again, it was the number 10 who fill in that vacancy to defend his team’s 4-3 lead.
Curiosidade: @Pele defendeu o gol do Santos, nesta e, em outras três ocasiões. Em NENHUMA delas ele sofreu gol. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #MemóriaSFC #PeléEterno
— Santos FC (@SantosFC) January 19, 2018
Friendly in Paraíba with Botafogo-PB: 1969
Already a two-time world champion and a global star in 1969, Pelé was invited by the Government of the State of Paraíba to be honored. In addition, Santos was called to an exhibition match against the state champion, Botafogo-PB, to celebrate the inauguration of the lights at the Olympic Stadium. And above all, the King was looking to reach 1,000 career goals – he had 998 by then.
Peixe won 3-0 but Pelé only managed to score once from the penalty spot. 37 minutes into the second half, Jair Estevão requested to be subbed off due to injury. It was the third time Pelé played as a goalkeeper, adding another clean sheet to his résumé.
Final outing as goalkeeper in the United States: 1973
On a world tour with Santos, Pelé visited the United States for one last match as goalkeeper. It was on June 19, 1973, in a friendly against Baltimore Bays. After scoring an Olympic goal during his minutes as an outfield player, he had time to put on the gloves again.
36 minutes into the second half, Cláudio left the field with a knee injury, and the number 10 took his place to close his story in this position. Pelé played four matches in total between the sticks, without conceding goals. After all, there’s a reason he’s remembered as “The King.”
Zagallo documentary by Sambafoot
Sambafoot Series has launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo’ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays – as a player and as a coach. The first three episodes are available in Sambafoot’s Youtube channel and the series will receive weekly releases to tell this legend’s life story.
