Pele snubbed the Beatles, stopped a war and broke Sylvester Stallone’s finger

Greatest player of all time, Pelé died this Thursday (29), aged 82, leaving a history with impressive marks in the sport. Outside the four lines, the king of football also brings together curious stories and others worthy of a fiction film.

What to say about the man who snubbed the Beatles, fled a country undercover in the midst of an attempted coup d’état, and even broke Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone’s finger with a kick on goal during a recording?

There are intriguing stories too. One concerns his closet, locked since 1974 in Vila Belmiro, home of Santos. Even with repeated reforms there, the player’s locker remains intact and not even the club’s board knows what he left stored there. The mystery remains.

Check out some curious stories involving Pelé below.

SLEEPWALK

The king of football had sleepwalking at various times in his life, including when he was in the Brazilian national team. In childhood, he used to talk a lot in his sleep. He would get out of bed and walk around, even though he was sleeping. Many times he had to be woken up screaming by his parents, Dondinho and Celeste. In his biography, Pelé recounted that once Pepe, his teammate, saw him get up in the middle of the night, shout “goal” and go back to bed.

RUN A COUPLE ATTEMPT IN NIGERIA

One of the best known people in the world, Pelé managed to go unnoticed and escape an attempted coup d’état in Nigeria, in 1976. secret operation involving Cotia Trading and Varig.

The king crossed the capital, Lagos, hidden in the car of ambassador Geraldo Heráclito de Lima, deceived the police and customs and boarded clandestinely, dressed in pilot’s clothes, among the crew of a Varig Boeing 707, in the service of Cotia Trading. He landed in Rio de Janeiro seven hours later, unharmed.

TALKING ABOUT NIGERIA…

The king of football stopped a war in Nigeria when he played with the Santos team in the country in 1969. He and the team traveled to the country at the invitation of the government to a conflict zone to play a friendly match against the midwest team of the African country.

Santos won 2-1 and the Nigerians interrupted the war to fill the stadium and watch Pelé closely. In September of this year, the club launched uniform three with references to the episode with the phrases “Together for Peace, together for happy football”, “Nigeria 1969” and “The Day the War Stopped”.

SNUBBED THE BEATLES

Pelé met John Lennon in New York in 1975, when he moved to the city, where he played for the New York Cosmos. He took English classes at the same language school where the singer learned Japanese and, in a break between classes, the ace bumped into Lennon, who said that he and the other Beatles tried to visit him at the hotel of the Brazilian team in the World Cup World (1966), played in England.

Groupies of the national team and, mainly, the number 10 of the team, John, Paul, George and Ringo, at the height of their fame and in a particularly important year for the band, were barred by the directors of the Brazilian Football Confederation. The king of football was sorry, but said he couldn’t have done anything at the time.

FEAR IN THE CARIBBEAN

Pelé used to be carried on the shoulders of fans, but the experience he had in 1972 in Trinidad and Tobago was different. A little scary. The Santos players, who were not at all happy about playing in a country with civil unrest and tanks in the streets, had agreed to finish the game and go as quickly as possible to the airport.

The club’s delegation, however, did not count on the crowd’s reaction to Pelé’s goal at the end of the game. They invaded the field of the Port of Spain stadium, put the player on their shoulders (without him being consulted) and left in a celebratory parade marching through the streets of the city. With Pelé on his shoulders, as if he were a trophy. He was later rescued and the only setback was a short flight delay.

BROKEN SYLVESTER STALLONE’S FINGER

The ace acted in Brazilian films by Renato Aragão and with Hollywood stars. During the recording of the feature “Escape for Victory” (1982), he kicked the ball so hard that he broke the finger of Sylvester Stallone, who acted as an untalented goalkeeper.

The film tells the story of a fictional game between a Nazi team and a team of prisoners during World War II. Stallone said in interviews that the soccer ball felt like a cannon, it was so hard and heavy. “I just got to bow,” said the actor.

LOCKED CUPBOARD IN VILA BELMIRO

A locked cabinet in Vila Belmiro, home of Santos, is one of the mysteries surrounding Pelé’s career. When he said goodbye to the team in 1974, he knelt down in front of him and asked the gods of football that, even in his absence, the club would continue to win.

The king left a belonging in the closet, which to this day no one knows what it is, locked it and took the key. The headquarters has undergone numerous renovations, but Pelé’s locked closet remains intact. Santos has already informed that it will never touch it or reveal its contents and has included a visit to the wardrobe in the guided tour for fans and supporters of the club.

Pelé has already said that there is nothing impressive stored there. The mystery remains.