As his home country prepares to host the 2014 World Cup this summer, Brazil’s king of football gave an exclusive interview to Vanity Fair magazine in which he talked about his regrets, happiest moments and desire to become invisible.
“As a player, my biggest regret is that I have never played in the cathedral of football: Wembley Stadium, in London,” said the 73-year-old.
Pelé revealed that the happiest moment of his life came on June 26, 1958, when Brazil won the first of their five World Cup trophies, beating Sweden in the final in Stockholm.
“That day changed my life and shaped my destiny,” he said.
Pelé talked about the impact that the last World Cup in Brazil had on him.
“My favourite journey was seeing my father cry for the first time, when I was nine years old,” he started.
“He was so sad that Brazil lost the 1950 World Cup to Uruguay.”
“That same day, I promised I would win a World Cup for him one day. Eight years later, I won a World Cup for Brazil at only 17 years old.”
In an interesting interview, the Santos legend spoke about his admiration for Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali and his continued love for Santos, the place he considers home.
When asked, Pelé was unable to identify a negative personal trait and admitted that he would change nothing about himself.
When pressed, however, he found two things that he thought could make him a better person.
“I keep wishing I could still play soccer… and I would love to be invisible so I could go out in public and live a normal life everywhere I go.”
Pelé is currently a World Cup ambassador and is looking forward to this summer’s showpiece event.
“I am very excited for the 2014 World Cup. We Brazilians treat soccer like a religion, and we know how to throw a good party!”
