The first time he set foot in the city he was the super star of world football. Thirty-eight years later another legion of his fans received him back as the greatest player of all time.
“Pele, Pele, Pele” the chants rented the air as the Brazilian legend, who has three football World Cup titles, honoured the rendezvous with the passionate fans arriving at around 9 a.m. in the morning on Sunday.
Receiving him at the airport was a big crowd and one of the key ministers of State Government, Firhad (Boby) Hakim, who led the Brazilian legend on a passenger cart from the terminal.
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Pele walked past the waiting crowd and waved as loud cheers greeted him.
He drove straight to a city hotel where he was greeted by Subimal (Chuni) Goswami, whom the city calls its own legend.
For the record, Pele last came to the city in 1977 with the touring New York Cosmos team and played an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan to a packed Eden Gardens Stadium on September 24. The match ended 2-2 and since then Pele is one of the football’s biggest icons that the city prefers to identify itself with.
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The man who inspired Brazil to become the most successful football nation in the world, helping it win the first three of its five World Cup crowns, has reignited the craze that gives Kolkata the premium place in the football map of India.
The 74-year-old legend will be resting on Sunday before beginning his tour by addressing a press conference on Monday, which is organised by the city’s Indian Super League franchise, Atletico de Kolkata.
Later in the day he will interact with the students of the institute named NSHM, which is one of the sponsors of his trip.
The feature event of Monday will be in the evening where he will felicitate the players of the Mohun Bagan team he played against in 1977 and then participate in a chat show with the city’s cricket icon — former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
According to the organisers, noted music director A.R. Rahman is also expected to be present at the event while Rafael Nadal, an iconic player in the tennis league IPTL, will also join in through a video conference.
On Tuesday, Pele will be meeting the Atletico de Kolkata players before attending their ISL outing against Kerala Blasters in the evening and stay at the Salt Lake Stadium for the entire duration of the match.