The late Brazilian soccer legend Pele (Frank Vivi / AFP)
The popularity of the Brazilian football legend has reached pellet Most of the countries of the world, thanks to his many skills and goals, as well as several countries where his fans met him, including the Arab countries whose people are characterized by their great attachment to football.
visited pellet An important number of Arab countries, whether during his football period or after his retirement, at the request of heads or governmental organizations, and he received a warm reception from officials and football fans.
Starting from Algeria in its prime
The beginning of Pele’s visits to the Arab countries was from Algeria, on the occasion of a friendly match in 1965, at the invitation of the late Mujahid President Ahmed Ben Bella. World 1962.
Another friendly in Egypt
Pele’s visits to the Arab countries continued through Egypt in 1973, during a friendly match in which his club Santos and Al-Ahly club met, a summit that witnessed the brilliance of the Brazilians with five clean goals, in which Pele scored two goals.
Saudi Arabia, Pele’s first kiss in the Gulf
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted Pele’s first matches in the Gulf countries, specifically in 1971, when he, accompanied by Santos, faced the Saudi “green” in a friendly match, and the Brazilian club won it 3-0.
Doha hosts Pele in a historic match
In 1973, Pele, accompanied by his club Santos, traveled again to an Arab country, Qatar, where the capital, Doha, hosted a friendly match against Al-Ahly of Qatar, according to the Swiss “TDG” website, which is the second Gulf country he visited.
In the mid-seventies, Pele visited Qatar and faced Al-Ahly at Doha Stadium #pellet pic.twitter.com/lc20C9iRo6
– Rashid Abdullah Al-Muhannadi (@RASHIDMOHANNADI) December 30, 2022
Pele and the Gulf tour continue
Pele continued his visits to the Gulf countries in the same year, and carried the colors of his club Santos in another friendly match, this time against the Kuwaiti club Al-Qadisiyah on the grounds of the “Shuwaikh” stadium, and the confrontation ended with a goal against a goal in which the Brazilian legend scored.
50 years ago, on February 12, 1973, Pele was in Kuwait and played a match at Shuwaikh High School with the full-star Brazilian club Santos against Al-Qadsia, which ended 1-1. Recorded by Pele and Jasim Yaqoub.
Then Pele said:
With six players from Qadisiyah, I can defeat any team in the world.Matt Pele yesterday the greatest footballer ???? pic.twitter.com/nzwVXmYQ2T
– ???????? Dr. Dhafer Muhammad Al-Ajmi (@z4alajmi) December 30, 2022
Bahrain is another Gulf station
Pele continued his visits to the Gulf countries and landed this time in Bahrain, in 1973 as well. The visit came on the sidelines of a friendly match against the Bahraini national team, and Pele and his colleagues decided it with a wide score and seven goals to one.
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Football legend Pele visited Bahrain in the early seventies and the unforgettable visit was in 1973 when the famous Brazilian team Santos, led by its star Pele, visited Bahrain on February 16, 1973 and the Santos team played a friendly match with the Bahrain team https://t.co/NhjXERsMkB pic.twitter.com/zRHJ5JiD4Z– H.Bahrain ???????????????? (@Hussein_Buhijji) August 21, 2022
Sudan gets a visit to the legend
The State of Sudan is considered among the Arab countries that had the honor of visiting the Brazilian legend, as he was accompanied by Santos Club to face the Sudanese club Al-Hilal, while the match witnessed a large public presence, following Pele as he scored the only goal in the match.
The visit of the late legend “Pele” to Sudan during the match that brought together his Brazilian club Santos with the Al-Hilal team in 1973#Sudan _ in the past#pellet pic.twitter.com/MSjOxggAP4
– Sudan in the past (@PastSudans) December 30, 2022
Back to Algeria and Egypt
Pele recorded his return to Arab countries for the second time, as Algeria was the most Arab country he visited, and his return came in 1969 in a match that brought together Santos and the Algerian national team, and ended with a goal in each network, and another in 2014 after receiving an invitation to attend a friendly match against Slovenia.
Pele renewed the covenant with the Egyptian public through a visit in 2014, after he was invited to attend an international demonstration in the pyramids area, and amid great public interaction.
Honoring #pellet At the foot of the pyramids in the season opener of the second Coca-Cola Coca-Cola! #pellet _ in _ Egypt #Egypt pic.twitter.com/o2yJ61A69c
— Coca-Cola Cup (@CopaCocaCola_) February 17, 2014
#pellet Gone… farewell, legend
The only player in history to win the World Cup three times (1958, 1962 and 1970), his last visit to Algeria was in March 2014 as a guest of honor for the FIFA on the occasion of the friendly match between the national team and Slovenia in preparation for the World Cup #Brazil.#Algeria pic.twitter.com/1c2kyIMYdG– manel belala ???????? Manal Balala (@belala_manel) December 29, 2022
Visiting Lebanon: Pele’s Steps in the Levant
Fans of the Lebanese Al-Nijmeh club fondly remember the day the Brazilian carried the colors of their team in a friendly match against the French universities team, in 1975, an event that the “Sports City in Beirut” stadium remained a witness to, and he led his colleagues to victory with two goals to one in the presence of a large audience of various Arab nationalities.
Historic meeting with Ben Mubarak in Morocco
Pele met with his Moroccan version, the legend Mahdi Ben Mubarak, in 1976, on the occasion of a friendly match between Santos and a team formed by the Raja and Wydad teams, but what distinguished the event most was the meeting of two international stars who shared the name “The Black Jewel”.
???????? Pele (????????) :”Imagine if he was born later. I’m sure he would have taken football to unexplored worlds. I was inspired by him a lot, and I tried to imitate him and I managed a lot.”
What Pele said about Al-Arabi bin Mubarak
Nicknamed “The Black Jewel”. pic.twitter.com/GedHTcpsEH— COPE (@COPE_AR) December 26, 2019