I have been blessed in my life to have played against or witnessed some truly great players: the likes of George Best, Bobby Moore, Eusebio, Maradona and, more recently, Messi and Ronaldo. In my eyes they all have a gold star by their name, but there is only one player who is deserving of a double gold star – and that is Pele.
I was first made aware of this precocious young talent at the 1958 World Cup, when he scored two goals in the final at the age of just 17. I was just a year younger than him, but he really inspired me with his performances that summer. I wanted to be like him; I wanted to play for my country, I wanted to play in the World Cup.
Fast forward the clock to 1970 and my dreams were fulfilled in Mexico; not only that, I got to play against Brazil and, of course, the great Pele. By this stage, he had been at the top of the game for some time, with a stature unlike any other footballer on the planet. He had an aura about him, on and off the pitch, where you knew you were in the company of greatness. It was a pleasure just to be on the same pitch as him that day in Guadalajara, but, of course, I had a job to do. In the build-up to the game, I clearly remember my mind starting to work overtime. ‘How am I going to stop him? What if he makes a fool out of me?’ All these things were going around in my head.
Alf Ramsey made things simple, giving me just one thing to do: to be in his trousers wherever he went. If you stop Pele, you stop Brazil, and so I carried out his instructions to a tee. Yes, Brazil edged the game 1-0, but Pele had just one opportunity, which brought that wonderful save out of Gordon Banks. It was disappointing to lose, but I had done what had been asked of me and I was pleased with my performance. The press noted how well I had played too, but what a task it was! I was out on my feet when that final whistle blew, both physically and mentally, and it wasn’t just because of the altitude and heat!
So, what was it that separated Pele from his contemporaries? Well, he had style. He had grace. He was quick. He was skilful. He knew where the goal was. And he was an outstanding athlete. Put all that together and you have the greatest to have played the game. Let’s not forget he also played at a time when footballers had proper studs on their boots, when muddy pitches were not uncommon, neither long grass by the corner flags. He would also be on the end of some brutal challenges, yet he took everything in his stride and still emerged a winner. To score over 1,200 goals in something like 1,300 games tells you all you need to know.
The last time I saw Pele must have been about ten years ago at a dinner at the Hilton Hotel in London. As my name was called and I proceeded to walk to the stage, Pele also got off his seat. He then pulled his trouser leg up and said, ‘Look everyone, Alan did this!’ and he pointed to a scar on his leg! The room erupted and we embraced with a big hug. We had a lovely chat after the event; we spoke about our games against each other, and he asked about my managerial career after I had finished playing. It was just wonderful to share memories and just to be in the company of the great man again.
I actually played against Pele three times and the year prior to the World Cup in 1970, we played Brazil in a friendly in Rio. I was fortunate enough to swap shirts with him on that occasion and it was a memento I always cherished. Sadly, during a house move, it went missing and to this day I don’t know where it ended up or who took it. I remember telling Geoff Shreeves about it at Sky and three weeks later he had managed to get me a shirt personally signed by the great man. A fantastic gesture.
That shirt currently sits proudly in Mullery’s Restaurant at the Amex, so when I see it tomorrow ahead of the Arsenal game, I will stop and take a moment to reflect, and to remember the greatest player there’s ever been.