Football legend Pelé arrives in India

Legendary Brazilian football player Pele - Reuters

Reuters: Brazilian football legend Pelé arrived in India’s eastern Kolkata city with a resounding welcome on Sunday (11), more than 38 years after he charmed the city with his magical moves on the field.

Dressed in a black blazer and a grey t-shirt, Pelé waved to his fans, who were eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse, before leaving for his hotel.

The crowd chanted “Pelé, Pelé”.

Pelé will begin his tour with a visit to the historic Eden Gardens ground on Monday (12) where he charmed foot fans in 1977.

Pele’s last visit was in 1977 with former club New York Cosmos, when they played in a 2-2 draw against Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, featuring Indian football greats such as Shyam Thapa, Pradip Chowdhury, Subrata Bhattacharya, Sudhir Karmakar and Prasun Banerjee.

Pele will reunite with the Mohun Bagan’s ‘Class of 77’ who will be felicitated at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. He is also scheduled to interact with former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly.

Pelé, regarded as the world’s greatest soccer player of all time, has arrived in India to connect with dignitaries, youth and fans.

With more than 1,280 career goals and an unequaled three World Cup titles during his playing career, Pelé continues to travel the world to this day to promote the Latin American country and the sport that made him famous.