"I arrived hoping to stop a great man, but I went away convinced that I had been undone by someone who was not born on the same planet as the rest of us," said Benfica goalkeeper Costa Pereira following a 5-2 loss to Pele's Santos team in the 1962 International Cup Final in Lisbon, Spain, a match in which Pele notched a spectacular hat-trick. Offered is an incredible opportunity: the chance to possess and display a Pele circa 1970-71 Brazil National Team game worn, vintage signed jersey - from the consensus best soccer player to ever play, as Pele himself termed it, "The Beautiful Game." Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) was born, in poverty, in 1940 in Tres Coraces, Brazil. He was the son of a professional football (soccer)player called Dondinho. He was so poor that he often used rags stuffed into a sock or a grapefruit, as a soccer ball. At age 15, he was playing for the Santos Football Club, and by age 16 he was also playing for the Brazilian National Team. As is the Brazilian custom, players are often given a nickname, like a stage name, and Edson soon earned the nickname of Pele. He usually played as a center forward (striker), but sometimes he dropped back and played as an attacking midfielder. In his career, including friendlies, Pele scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games. Pele played for his Brazilian Club team, Santos, from 1956-74, scoring 569 goals in 583 contests. For the Brazilian National Team, Pele played 1957-71, scoring 77 goals in 92 appearances. In a coda to his career, Pele played his final three seasons with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, scoring 37 goals in 64 appearances. In playing for his country, Pele helped Brazil to win three World Cups: 1958, '62, and '70. He is the only player to have ever won a trio of World Cups. Many soccer pundits and fans consider him to be the best player in history. In 1999, Pele was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. In 2000, Pele was voted Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Pele was a brilliant improvisational player. Upon receiving the ball, it was impossible for defenders to detect whether he would pass, dribble, or shoot. He was skilled beyond belief. Not just a scorer, he was often a wonderful playmaker, setting up teammates with incredible passes. He used both feet, and despite being only 5'8", was a force in the air on headers. An example of the esteem with which he was almost universally held occurred during the 1970 World Cup when Manchester United defender Paddy Crerans was part of a television panel covering the games, and he was asked, "How do you spell Pele?" He replied, "That's easy. G-O-D." The offered signed jersey is a Brazil National Team jersey, in yellow with green trim. It was issued in circa 1970-71. It is all original and shows fine use. There is light staining, some of it from perspiration. The pullover jersey was worn during National Team play. In the collar is an Athleta manufacturer's tag and an additional tag with washing instructions in Spanish. The chest measurement is 19 and the torso measurement is 28. There is a crest, as an embroidered patch, for the National Team (CBD), on the left chest. Above the patch are three green stars. On back is a sewn-on tackle twill number 10 in green numerals 9.50" high. It is vintage-signed from the period on the chest area using a black fine tip marker. Because of the passage of time, the signature is somewhat faded but still very clearly legible. As was his frequent custom, Pele signed by using both his given first name (Edson) and his playing name (Pele). It's a large, neatly flowing signature. The jersey exhibits heavy use. The jersey comes with a MEARS LOA, Cert. #3197770, which grades the jersey as AUTHENTIC; MEARS does not assign numerical grades to soccer jerseys. It comes with a PSA LOA for the signature. Pele passed away in 2023. Years earlier, he had commented on his legacy: "I used to go out and people said, 'Pele! Pele! Pele! Pele!' all over the world, but no one remembers Edson. Edson is the person who has the feelings, who has the family, who works hard, and Pele is the idol. Pele doesn't die. Pele will never die. Pele is going to live forever. But Edson is a normal person who is going to die someday, and the people forget that." Thus, the offered signed game worn jersey provides a wonderful remembrance - both for the kind, normal man called Edson, and for the miraculous supernatural player forever known as Pele.