A meeting with Pele, but no soccer book to sign. But the great man’s signature on ‘An Indian Cricket Omnibus’ is still something to cherish.
I am quite sure I possess the only cricket book signed by Pele. This happened in Dubai. I had just moved there, and Pele was visiting. My books hadn’t arrived but I had with me An Indian Cricket Omnibus, edited by Ramachandra Guha and T. G. Vaidyanathan. “All the best,” wrote Pele on the title page, after we spent a day talking and watching football.
A couple of years later we met again. This time I had his autobiography, My Life and the Beautiful Game. Pele signed on the title page by right. It was one of my first soccer books, a paperback bought in 1978.
All-time favourite
Pele retired in 1970, yet is in every World Cup. The promising players are compared to him, the best become the ‘new Pele’. Movies and documentaries on him are released or rerun.
Also rereleased are some of the finest books.
This story is from the June 30, 2018 edition of Sportstar.
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This story is from the June 30, 2018 edition of Sportstar.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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