The mystery and mathematics of Pelé’s disputed 1,000th goal

The Contentious Claim to Pelé’s 1000th Goal: Fact vs. Football Folklore

On November 14, 1969, footballing legend Pelé stepped up for a penalty. It wasn’t his most elegant strike—more of a clumsy prod into the corner of the net. Yet, this was enough to give Pelé and his Santos side the lead in a 3-0 victory over Botafogo da Paraiba in a friendly match. More significantly, this goal was heralded as the iconic player’s 999th senior goal. Or was it truly?

The Maracanã Moment and National Celebration

Five days later, Santos journeyed to Rio de Janeiro to confront Vasco da Gama in a cup tie. The colossal Maracanã Stadium was overflowing with spectators, seemingly the entire nation, eager to witness football history unfold. Despite a heavy tropical downpour, every television channel, radio station, and newspaper representative jostled for position along the touchline, anticipating the momentous occasion.

The anticipated moment arrived in the 78th minute – another penalty kick. This time, Pelé calmly slotted the ball into the right corner. It wasn’t a display of his famed supernatural grace and flair, but the goal was met with celebrations usually reserved for a Brazil World Cup victory.

Santos emerged victorious 2-1, but the result was secondary to the 80,000-strong crowd. As the final whistle sounded, thousands surged from the stands, hoisting the celebrated player onto their shoulders and parading him around the pitch. The festivities in Rio continued for days, with the achievement receiving front-page coverage in Brazilian newspapers, rivaling even Apollo 12’s moon landing in prominence.

The Lost Goal and a Recalculation of History

This was proclaimed as Pelé’s 1,000th career goal. Or was it? Over two decades later, a Brazilian journalist endeavoring to organize the somewhat disorganized statistics of Pelé’s career unearthed a forgotten goal, a truly startling discovery.

Evidently, the records had missed a goal scored by Pelé in Brazil’s 4-1 victory against Paraguay during a South American military cup competition in 1959. The subsequent recalculation implied that his actual 1,000th goal occurred in the Botafogo da Paraiba match, not the celebrated one at the Maracanã in Rio.

Unreliable Records and Global Friendlies

The unreliability of the records was hardly surprising. They were compiled from numerous international fixtures, local, state, and national matches, and a multitude of obscure friendlies played worldwide. In that era, Santos would participate in matches against virtually any team, seemingly anywhere, for substantial fees and expenses. Maintaining precise records was not a priority.

Diego Maradona humorously addressed the 1000 goals claim during a television interview with Pelé several years ago, jokingly asking: “Who did you score them against, your nephews in the back yard?” More recently, Cristiano Ronaldo, with considerably less humor, implied that his own 1000 goals, if achieved, would at least be verifiable on video.

Pelé’s Phlegmatic Response to the Goal Count

Pelé remained typically unperturbed by the entire debate. In a 1995 interview, he stated: “Thankfully, the controversy isn’t about whether I scored a thousand goals or not. For me, it’s irrelevant if my thousandth goal was against Vasco or not. It’s already been accomplished.”

The Councillor’s Wily Negotiation for a Piece of History

However, for one individual, it mattered significantly. Back in 1969, when Pelé and Santos arrived in João Pessoa, a remote northeastern city, for the Botafogo game, a local councillor, Derivaldo Mendonça, presented him with the city key. In return, he shrewdly negotiated to receive Pelé‘s match-worn shirt after the game.

A Theatrical Substitution and a Coveted Jersey

This is where the episode takes a peculiar turn. Shortly after Pelé scored the 17th-minute penalty, the Santos goalkeeper feigned illness in a rather dramatic fashion. Much to the crowd’s displeasure, Pelé replaced him in goal. Cynics suggested this was to prevent him scoring his 1000th goal in an obscure location, reserving the milestone for the grander stage of the national stadium. Before assuming his goalkeeping duties, Pelé approached the touchline and handed his shirt to Councillor Mendonça, remarking: “There’s your jersey Mr Councillor. Thy will is done.”

For years, the white No. 10 shirt remained within the Mendonça family. When the goal records were revised, the councillor realized he possessed the shirt from the actual 1000th goal match, not the previously assumed 999th.

The Auction of a Unique Piece of Football Memorabilia

This very shirt, now in the possession of Steve Santos Barlow, a friend of the Mendonça family and a spectator at the João Pessoa game as a child, will headline a significant football auction, organized by Hanson World Football, at Wembley on April 10.

Estimates suggest the shirt could fetch up to £500,000, surpassing the value of his 1958 and 1970 World Cup final-winning shirts, which sold for £70,000 and £157,000, respectively, in the early 2000s. However, it is likely to remain significantly below the record price set by Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt, sold for over £7 million a few years prior, and Lionel Messi’s six World Cup shirts that went for over £6 million in 2023.

The record for the most expensive sporting shirt belongs to Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series-winning New York Yankees jersey, from the game where he famously gestured to the stands before hitting a home run. It sold for just over $24 million (£18.5 million) last summer.

Pelé’s Enduring Legacy Beyond Numbers

The authenticity of Pelé’s Santos shirt is unquestionable, although the precise tally of his career goals remains debated. Some suggest that a significant portion of his goals were scored in non-competitive matches. However, the Guinness Book of Records still recognizes his official career total as an astonishing 1,279 goals in 1,363 appearances. There was even a report in a 1960s football magazine claiming the record was 150 goals short, omitting goals scored for his junior team between ages 14 and 16, before joining Santos.

Regardless of the exact figure, Pelé’s position as one of the world’s greatest players is undisputed. His uncleaned, mud- and sweat-stained shirt remains a unique artifact of football history, poised to achieve another set of stratospheric figures at auction.