Paris (AFP)
On November 19, 1969, while a retransmission failure deprives the world of the second landing of the Mission Apollo 12, the Brazilians, they, do not miss anything of a moment considered more historical: the 1000th goal of Pele.
For Brazil and his "King", this date could not be better chosen to achieve such a feat. On that day, the people celebrate the national flag, instituted in 1889. Pele celebrates his mother's birthday.
What better gift to offer than this "Gol Mil" borrowing pride for everyone? Pride for the Brazilians to have the best player and certainly scorer of all time; for Maria Celeste Arantes to see her prodigy son enter the legend.
Fate sometimes doing things well, he prevented the number 10 Santos to cross his Everest three days ago in Salvador. At the end of the match against Bahia, Pelé first saw his shot pushed back by the cross, then his teammate Jair Bala resume in front of him, the ball to score.
Las! For the greatest artists, the most beautiful scenes: no offense to the Fonte Nova stadium, it is the legendary Maracana, where receives Vasco de Gama for special occasions, which will be the scene of the thousandth goal of Pele.
- Surrealistic scenes -
The black and white cameras are ready to immortalize the event, in the presence of 80,000 people in fusion. And it's not rain that will spoil the party.
The "King" is close to register this goal in the first period. It is first the Argentine guard Edgardo Andrada, who will be many years later accused of assassinations on behalf of the military junta of his country (1976-1983), which diverts his shot from outside the foot. It is then the cross, again, that repels his other attempt.
"You will not score today," throw Pelé his opponents. One of them, Rene, even branded against his camp, before the royal feet who saw themselves already "millennia".
The end of the match comes when, in the 78th minute, Pele gets a foul in the box. It will be nice, later, to write in his autobiography that "the penalty is a cowardly way of marking", never its execution will have been so difficult to assure. Because around him, the effervescence is at its height and the "King" has no right to be missed.
For a few minutes, several surrealist scenes take place. Opponents in turn speak with the shooter, just to delay the deadline. Pelé himself console, hand on the shoulder, the author of the fault. Finally, a last player Vasco, ball in hand, frantically stomps the penalty point, as if to create a hump if not to cast a spell.
- No. 1000 in the back -
Finally, the referee places the ball on the point of chalk and Pele, quiet, hands on the hips, finally rushes. After a "paradinha", a slowdown at the last moment, he opens his right foot and cheats Andrada, who had read his shot. "Gooool !!!"
As he runs to catch the ball in the net to kiss him, dozens of photographers, journalists and fans are already invading the lawn to celebrate the hero. Who ends up raised by the crowd, with his ball still in hands, while a cloud of microphones tries to collect his first words.
The moment is solemn only for the teammates of Pelé, all aligned on the center line, who attend without moving to the outpouring of collective joy, until Pelé extricates himself from the mass and comes to jump in the arms of each one. Again carried in triumph by his guardian, Pelé finally released a few words to the media, dedicating his goal "to the poor children of Brazil".
It is then that a jersey is given to him, flocked of the number 1000 in the back. He donned it before embarking on a 20-minute lap under the incessant cheers of the Maracana.
After that, we must finish this match! But the last ten minutes no longer matter to anyone. The spectators are already leaving the stadium. The story has just been written under their eyes full of stars. Pele picked up the moon.
© 2019 AFP