As Pelé approached his 1000th goal, the crossbar, an own goal, and nervousness stood in his way. When it finally happened, all of Brazil went wild.
The match in which Pelé sent a football nation into ecstasy was almost drowned in the rain. It was the evening of November 19, 1969, when a heavy downpour occurred in Rio de Janeiro. The drops pattered on the concrete walls of the Maracana.
More than 80,000 spectators had taken their seats in this world-famous stadium. They wanted to see the match between FC Santos and Vasco da Gama. This rush was surprising at first glance, as both clubs no longer had any influence on the outcome of the Brazilian championship.
But the football fans had not come because of a title decision. They wanted to witness a historic moment and see the 1000th goal of the great Pelé up close. The perseverance in the rain paid off. The Maracana experienced “O Milésimo,” the anniversary goal of an exceptional athlete, 56 years ago.
Debuted for Santos at 15
Weeks ago, the topic had dominated the headlines in Brazil. The big question was: When will goal number 1000 fall?
Pelé had scored his first goal for FC Santos at just 15 years old. In the autumn of 1956, the star of Edson Arantes do Nascimento rose.
From then on, he provided superlatives under the stage name Pelé, in 1959 he celebrated an incredible 127 goals in the club jersey. As Pelé approached the thousand mark, the striker was already a two-time world champion with Brazil, a nine-time regional champion and a two-time Copa Libertadores winner with FC Santos.
But at the end of 1969, this goal machine suddenly showed weaknesses. On November 16, the counter stood at 999. Everything was prepared for the big Pelé party. Journalists from abroad came to Salvador da Bahia. FC Santos played there. Although: Only Pelé actually played there.
Pelé encounters a monster
And the great pressure got to him. “I saw the terrible vision before me that I wouldn’t score a goal for years and would still be chasing after this number 1000,” Pelé once said.
“The assembled cameras seemed to me like the glassy eyes of some emotionless monster.” The game ended in a 1-1 draw. Pelé only hit the crossbar.
That’s why he had to deliver three days later in Rio de Janeiro. Photographers and camera teams from all over the world surrounded the lawn to capture the historic moment. However, the players of Vasco da Gama stubbornly refused to be extras in the great Pelé show. The Argentinian goalkeeper Edgardo Andrada wanted to prevent the anniversary goal with all his might.
Pelé also had bad luck. He hit the crossbar with a shot. The superstar was not present at the rebound, but his opponent René. Instead of “O Milésimo” there was first an own goal. “The spectators booed René – less because of his bad luck, but because he had ruined my 1000th goal for them,” Pelé later explained in his biography.
Time passed. Twelve minutes before the final whistle, Pelé penetrated into the penalty area. Opponent Fernando mowed him down. There was a penalty for Santos. Actually, that was a task for left-back Rildo. But on this evening Pelé took the ball.
Vasco da Gama and the antics
The footballers from Vasco da Gama now made antics, put sayings on the shooter, a player even trampled on the penalty spot. Pelé seemed insecure.
The referee whistled. Pelé hesitated for a moment, then shot the ball to the bottom right. Andrada dived, but couldn’t defuse the shot. Pelé was redeemed. A cry went through the stadium.
Pelé ran into the goal, kissed the ball and seconds later the photographers and cameramen were already in front of him. The people cheered the anniversary celebrant, tore his jersey from his body. But there was a replacement: Pelé received a new jersey – with the number 1000.
Surrounded by the masses, Pelé celebrated his 1000th career goal
After a lap of honor, the substitution followed. Pelé went crying into the cabin. “I felt my heart beating and was glad that it was finally over,” he said afterwards.
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