Club Deportivo Guadalajara deeply regrets the death of Brazilian star Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, on Thursday, December 29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and in honor of his memory we present a review of the times 'O Rei' faced our Chivas, as there are several precedents.
The first time the three-time World Champion faced Guadalajara was on January 29, 1959, as part of the Second Pentagonal in Mexico City. El Rebaño Sagrado were leading 2-1, but the magic of Pelé appeared to score a hat-trick that meant the definitive 4-2 in favor of the Paulista team, which earned him a standing ovation from the public.
Chiverío's second match against 'O Rei' was on Sunday, February 19, 1961 at the Estadio Jalisco. Although he was coming off an injury, he entered at minute 53 and took part in the match, which Santos won 6-2.
Shortly before the inauguration of the Mexico 70 World Cup, the red and white squad played a preparation match in Guadalajara against the Brazilian National Team, in which Carlos Alberto, Rivelino, Gerson, Tostao and company also shone; Pelé scored 1, while Rivelino and Clodoaldo also scored for the 3-0 victory.
The next duel of the best footballer in world history against Guadalajara was with his club at the Los Angeles Coliseum, in which Santos won 2-1 and one of the goals being his. Curiously, the referee ended the match at 86' due to the crowd invading the field.
El Rebaño faced the Paulista team led by Pelé a couple more times in 1973; in Oakland on June 1 and in Los Angeles two days later, and the South American team won both by 1-0 and 2-1, respectively. O Rei' was on the scoreboard in both games.
