Already with the consolidated hegemony in Brazil, Santos dominated the world in the years 1962 and 1963. In those two years, it won two editions of the Copa Libertadores and the second world championship.
In the first Libertadores title for a Brazilian club, Pelé was the highlight of the decisive game against Peñarol, from Uruguay, after not playing for most of the tournament.
The number 10 shirt did not play in the quarterfinals against Paraguayan Cerro Porteño, still recovering from the muscle problem he had in the 1962 World Cup, he did not play in the two semifinals, against Universidad Católica, from Chile, nor in the first two matches of the decision against Peñarol, with one victory for each team.
In the tie-breaker, in Buenos Aires, Pelé returned and scored two goals in the quiet 3-0 victory — Coutinho scored the other goal for Santos.
To win the 1962 World Cup, Santos needed to beat Benfica, from Portugal, led by Eusébio and twice champion of Europe.
In the first game, at Maracanã, the Brazilian team won 3-2 — Pelé scored twice.
The second game was held in Lisbon. Benfica’s fans —also managers and the local press—, excited by the “good” result at Maracanã, were sure that the Portuguese team would win the second game and provoke the third, in Paris.
The certainty of triumph was so great that the Portuguese already announced the sale of tickets for the grand final.
Many say that, led by Pepe, the Santos players made a point of keeping Pelé informed about the optimism of the Portuguese.
The tactic paid off. With Pelé and his teammates motivated, Santos made their best performance and won 5-2, after opening 5-0 – three goals from the King.
The following year, Santos beat the Argentine Boca Juniors in the Libertadores decision and won the chance to compete in the second world championship.
The rival was the Italian Milan, which had the Brazilians Dino Sani, Amarildo and Altafini (for us, Mazzola).
Pelé only played in the first of three matches, in Milan. He scored two goals, but the Italians won by 4-2. In the next two matches, at Maracanã, Santos won by 4-2 and 1-0.
As in the 1962 World Cup, Pelé watched from the stands as his teammates won yet another title.
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