Dubai: A limited-edition collector’s book paying tribute to the stellar career of Pele has been described as “one of the most important projects” in the Brazilian football icon’s life.
Brazilian luxury book publishers Toriba Editora launched 1,283, so called after the number of goals Pele scored, last October.
The book costs £1,064 (Dh6,505), weighs 15 kilograms and contains 500 pages and accompanying pages – but only 1,283 copies have been printed and more than half of these have already been sold in other launches in Brazil and London.
The man behind the ambitious project, Pedro Sirotsky, told Gulf News that Pele had wholeheartedly embraced the project and been heavily involved in its creation.
Sirotsky, who is currently in Dubai to promote the book, said: “Pele was fundamental in working on the book for the last 18 months. I spent many afternoons with him in his apartment in Sao Paulo speaking about stories and showing him photos. He was absolutely committed to the project. He said it was the most important project in terms of a book in his life.
“He’s also signed each book one by one — there’s no printed signature. When he first saw the book, he said: ‘I’ve never had in my life a project like that.’ He was emotionally happy and cried many times observing pictures and pages in the book.”
The book comprises 1,283 ‘mini’ texts featuring stories and facts from Pele’s life — many of which even devoted fans of the Brazilian may be unaware of.
Sirotsky, who said Dubai had been chosen as a launch venue for the book along with Brazil, New York, London and China due to the popularity of football in the UAE, said that one particular memorable anecdote had been revealed by Pele himself.
“He and the Brazilian football team were playing the World Cup in 1966 in England and The Beatles’ manager called him,” Sirotsky said. “They wanted to play a private concert for the team, but the chiefs of the team did not allow that. They said something like: ‘We don’t want those long-haired guys disturbing our concentration’. I don’t think anyone knew that story before.”
Another highlight of the hefty tome, Sirotsky added, is a photograph entitled ‘The Heart of the King’.
The photo shows Pele with a heart-shaped patch of sweat on his Brazil shirt during a game against Yugoslavia in 1971.
So what is Pele like in person?
As incredibly humble and unaffected by his fame as he appears on television, Sirotsky says. He said: “He still sees himself as Edson Arantes do Nascimento, an ordinary citizen. He still says thanks to God that he has been chosen as one of the most important personalities in the world. He’s a very simple guy and doesn’t behave like a celebrity.”
He went on: “I flew with him from Sao Paulo to New York and, when we arrived at immigration, there was a huge commotion with loads of people waiting to embrace him. He was very emotional. After all these years, he could be tired by all this, but he responds positively to anyone who wants to take a picture with him.”
For more information on the book, visit www.1283pele.com.br
