“See how the great event has its own landscape”, wrote Nelson Rodrigues, explaining why there was only one place for Pelé to score his thousandth goal. The party took place at the Mario Filho stadium, Maracanã, where the star converted a penalty and defined Santos’ 2-1 victory over Vasco.
The number 10 beat Argentine goalkeeper Andrada, was carried, cried and made an emotional appeal for the future of Brazilian children. It was a historic day on 19 November 1969, forever linked to the impressive four-figure mark of the king of football. That, however, was the player’s 1,001st goal, as the Sheet in 1995.
After extensive research work, a report signed by Valmir Storti pointed out an inconsistency in the accounting then accepted as the most accurate. Missing from the list was a ball put into the net by Pelé in the 1959 South American Military Championship, when he was serving in the Armed Forces.
With the updated list, what was considered the 999th goal, scored in a friendly match between Santos and Botafogo-PB, in João Pessoa, became the thousandth. At the inauguration of the Governador José Américo de Almeida stadium, on November 14, five days before the duel with Vasco, the team from São Paulo won by 3-0, and the score gained final numbers in another penalty shot by the number 10.
Informed 25 years later that he was the goalkeeper to concede the thousandth goal, Luís Marques was slow to believe. Lula, as he was known in his days as a goalkeeper for Botafogo-PB, was initially silent. Then he celebrated. “It’s a joy. At least he was a Brazilian goalkeeper, not an Argentinean. That’s all. It’s another joy for Brazilian football.”
According to him, the play that resulted in the goal was built by Manoel Maria, who had already scored twice and left Santos in good advantage. “He was the best on the field, he just didn’t make it rain,” recalled Lula. “It passed by two or three times, and quarterback Lando was fouled. Pelé didn’t want to hit, but Carlos Alberto, who was the captain, ordered him to shoot.”
In the penalty kick, the then two-time world champion used his cleverness to close the score for the friendly. “Our technician was behind the goal and shouted for me to fall on the left side, but he hit the other one. Afterwards, Pelé told me that he heard the instruction”, said the former goalkeeper, highlighting the accuracy of his report: “For me , it’s like it was yesterday”.
The goal was not celebrated as the thousandth, but it created expectations for the party. It could have taken place on the 16th, when Santos drew 1-1 with Bahia, at Fonte Nova, in Salvador. The star even dribbled past goalkeeper Jurandir and rolled the ball towards the net, but defender Nildo stretched out on the lawn and blocked it on top of the line.
The great moment was left for Maracanã. Or for the former Maracanã, as Nelson Rodrigues said, who insisted on calling the stadium inaugurated in 1950 Mario Filho – the name was adopted in 1966, in honor of the journalist, Nelson’s brother, shortly after his death. There were 65,157 paying and countless non-paying in the field that November 19th.
For Nelson, it was little.
“Friends, the city has 5 million inhabitants, maybe more. Because those 5 million should be there”, he published, two days after the game, in his sports column in the newspaper O Globo.
“Objectivity idiots will say that the former Maracanã can hold a maximum of 250,000 people. But those who couldn’t get in would stay outside, tied to the battery radio and sucking on oranges. Which I find incredible and, above all, inexcusable is that anyone, dead or alive, could remain indifferent to the most beautiful Brazilian football party of all times. Yes, the living should leave their homes and the dead of their tombs”, he added.
Alive or dead, those who went to the stadium experienced enormous expectations throughout most of the game, valid for the Roberto Gomes Pedrosa Tournament. The tension reached its peak in the 33rd minute of the second half, when the number 10 received a pass from Clodoaldo and went to the ground after clashing with defender Renê. Referee Manoel Amaro de Lima whistled the penalty. The score was 1-1.
“The Basques wanted to disrupt Pelé’s kick and made a hole on the penalty mark, in the area. The crowd, celebrating the goal in advance, shouted Pelé’s name. And he, apparently calm, went to adjust the ball in his own way The Basques complained. They moved the ball, turned the earth over again. Andrada stepped on the ball, to disturb even more. And Pelé just smiled”, described the Sheetin its November 21, 1969 issue.
Fifty years later, the star told the newspaper that he was not so calm.
“Everyone says that taking a penalty is easy. But it’s easy when it’s 2-0, 3-0”, he said. “I shook when I went to take my penalty. I doubt anyone has ever gone through that. I said: ‘My God in heaven, what if I miss the penalty?'”, he recalled.
Did not lose. With her characteristic little run, slowing her steps as she approached the mark, she kicked Andrada’s left corner. The archer jumped to the right side and even touched the ball, but it did not prevent the net from being swung. He punched the pitch to release his rage and went down in history as the character of the 1,000th goal, even though that was the 1,001st goal.
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