Pelé died: 1000 goals, the penalty that an Argentinian could not avoid

He (and his admirers) claim it it reached 1,284 since making his debut in the First Division. On the other hand, the IFFHS (International Federation Football History & Statistics) specifies that he has scored 541 goals in 560 official matches with Santos alone. We are talking about Pelé, of course, who died this Thursday in Brazil.

Journalist Martín Estévez published in 2012 (El Gráfico) a collection of the Brazilian’s goals and, adding all the matches of the national team – official and friendly – to those of his teams, he reaches the 757 goals.

And where is the difference with the bill that Pele had? Difficult to define, it would be almost unknown friends or, again, youth divisions, in which he spent very little time.

But this story has a date that becomes emblematic: November 19, 1969. That night Brazil stopped while Pele was about to score what -according to his story- was the thousandth goal.

Five days earlier, Pelé had scored his 999th against Botafogo (3-0 for Santos). Then he played against a weak Bahia, in Salvador. And he couldn’t score. But the appointment was on the 19th at the legendary Maracana stadium in Rio for the Gomes Pedrosa Cup. 65,000 people attended. Santos and Vasco da Gama face each other, where an Argentine, Edgardo “Gato” Andrada, ex Rosario Central, is saved.

​It was 1-1 when the referee fixed the penalty, converted by Pele. There were 33 minutes in the second half… “I felt alone against the world,” said Andrada, regarding that picture at 11:11pm.

Pelé’s recollection: “Most of the spectators wanted to see the goal, but the Vasco players did everything to prevent it. They told me that day would not be… It was destiny”. Pelé closes with his right foot, trying to place it on Andrada’s left.

The Argentine dives but, despite touching the ball with his hand, is unable to avoid the goal. “For the first time in my career I felt really nervous. I rarely felt the same pressure, I was shaking. But I passed it, it was an incredible feeling, the stadium collapsed” Pele said.