KEEPING THE BALL ROLLING
IT’S not for nothing that he’s known as one of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen. At the tender age of 17 he scored his first world cup victory – and soon he was breaking record after record. Eventually he was named athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999.
But time has taken its toll on Pelé. Now 79, the frail Brazilian is almost unrecognisable as soccer’s former fleet- footed superstar striker.
He’s a recluse mired deep in depression who can’t walk without help and refuses to leave his home, if the eldest of his seven children is to be believed.
Pelé suffered complications after hip surgery and never
