Story of football legend Pele: The referee who took him off the field had to leave himself, the war was also stopped.

Brazilian player Pele, who retired from football in 1977, is one of the best players in the world. In recent days, Pele was struggling with kidney disease and prostate.Pele was a member of the team that won the World Cup three times. He is the only player in the world to make such a record. There are many such anecdotes in his playing career that show how famous he was in his time.

Referee out as Pele is sent off
On June 18, 1968, a friendly match was underway between Pelé’s club and the Olympic Club of Colombia. During the match, the referee Guillermo Veláquez sent Pele off the field (the use of red cards only started after 1970). He was accused of fouling.Belaquez also alleged that Pele abused him. However, this decision of the referee was opposed. Santos players surrounded the referee.

The spectators present in the stadium also started protesting the referee’s decision. In an interview in 2010, Veláquez said he had to go off the field and whistled the linesmen to call Pele back on the field.

Did Pele really stop the war ?
In the 1960s, Pele’s club Santos was one of the most famous clubs in the world. The club used to play friendly matches with teams from all over the world.One such game was played in a war-torn region of Nigeria. This match was played on February 4, 1969. In this match, Santos beat a local club in Binini City by 2-1.

At that time, the war in Nigeria was turning violent. The Brazilian team’s concerns about security were justified. So both sides made a truce to bring the Brazilian team.There are different arguments about its truth. Pele’s autobiography published in 1977 does not mention this.

In another autobiography written 30 years later, he wrote about this: The players were told that this exhibition game could have stopped the civil war.I don’t know if this is true or not. However, Nigeria ensured that there would be no intrusion while we were there,” he wrote.

Why didn’t Pele play for European clubs ?
Pele’s critics allege that not playing for European clubs has benefited Pele’s career. Like other great Brazilian players, he was barred from going abroad when he was at the peak of his career.Santos Club rejected Real Madrid’s offer. At that time, players did not have the freedom to choose which club they would play for.

There was also pressure from the government to keep Pele in the country. In 1961, the then president Genio Quadros said that pele was a national treasure and could not be ‘exported’.

Despite this, in 1975 he played for a foreign club called New York Comsum.