Way back in 1977 when Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or "Pele", the football legend visited Kolkata (then Calcutta), he was no longer in his prime but such was the hype that people even sold their scooters and even belongings to buy tickets just to see the Brazilian play for the "New York Cosmos" in an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan, one of the leading football clubs in the eastern metropolis of Kolkata.

Now 38 years later, Pele, monikered the "Black Pearl", will be in India at the Subroto Cup football tournament final to be held next month as a Special Ambassador. The tournament will be held here from September 11 to October 16 and will see participation of over 100 school teams from India and from all over the world. The matches will be played in Under-14 (boys) and Under-17 (boys and girls) categories. The international tournament is organised every year by the Indian Air Force in memory of former Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee.

This year the club where Pele trained in his childhood for nearly 20 years, "Santos FC", will be the star attraction of the tournament.

Talking to mediapersons, head of the Subroto Cup football tournament, Air Marshal M.K Malik said. "It gives me immense pleasure to announce that Pele will be visiting India after a gap of 38 years for the final of the 56th edition of the Cup. We are delighted to have his presence."Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Delhi Dynamos' marquee footballers Brazilian Roberto Carlos, who is also the coach, and Frenchman Florent Malouda will grace the final match.

Pele is appreciative of the contribution of the Subroto Cup to young world football and he will be coming to India to encourage the participants," Malik said. In his message, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, also a football patron, said, "Pele is the greatest football player of all times. He will be visiting India for the second time, after a gap of 38 years for the grand finale of Subroto Cup. His fans across the country, and the Indian Air Force in particular, are extremely delighted with the presence of this great football legend in India".

"Pelé is a legendary name who has inspired almost three generations of football lovers and we are looking forward to welcome him to our country. This is our priceless gift to not only the participants of Subroto Cup but also to the passionate followers of the sports across the nation. We hope that his presence and words of wisdom encourage everyone to work for the progress of the beautiful game," the air chief marshal said.

"I am looking forward to meeting the young footballers participating in the Subroto Cup and celebrating the world's greatest sport with the children of India." Pele said, while confirming his visit through a video message.

"I am impressed with the hard work that the Indian Air Force (organisers of the tournament) has put in to nurture such a big football tournament that brings the youth together. I hope my visit will inspire these champions of tomorrow." The 74-year old soccer ace said.

"India is a very special country. I remember I played in Kolkata in 1977 with my team New York Cosmos. Thank you for the invitation to be your guest," he said adding, "I have good memories from my time many years ago, the fans were fantastic". Speculation is rife that Pele will also be a guest of honour in Atletico de Kolkata's opening game in Indian Super League(ISL) and meet former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly at a function there.

Pelé embarked upon his professional career at the age of 16 for Santos Futebol Clube, a club he was associated with for nearly two decades. In 1958, he won his first World Cup for Brazil at age of 17 – becoming the youngest winner ever. He went on to win another two World Cups in 1962 and 1970, making him the only person in the world today with three Jules Rimet trophies to his name. Not only is Pelé the all-time leading scorer of Santos FC and the national team of Brazil, but he is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the sport (1283 goals in 1366 matches). In 1974, Pelé came out of semi-retirement to sign with the New York Cosmos for the 1975-1977 seasons and led his teams to the 1977 NASL championship.

He has been named as one of the "Top 20 Most Important People of the 20th century" (Time Magazine) and "Football Player of the Century" (FIFA).

Copyright: The Statesman/Asia News Network