Brazil will celebrate a national “King Pele Day” on November 19 every year, marking the date the football great scored what he considered to be the 1,000th goal of his career in 1969.
The Brazilian government’s official publication said on Tuesday that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had passed a law sanctioning the national tribute to the three-time World Cup winner. The Brazilian soccer great died on December 29, 2022, at the age of 82.
The date picked for the festivities is a reference to the day Pele scored Santos’ winner from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win against Vasco da Gama at the Maracana in 1969 — although some football historians question whether that actually was the 1,000th goal of his career.
“This is an acknowledgement that’s more than deserved for one of the most important and influential people not only in Brazilian football but world sports as well,” said Jorge Kajuru, a former sports journalist and one of the sponsors of the bill in Congress.
Pele used the celebrations for that goal to make a rare somewhat political speech, in which he had said that Brazil should take better care of its children.
AP/PTI
