Nobody has ever played soccer as well as Pelé. This is a fact, not an opinion. And his unprecedented skill and indomitable style of play meant that, at his height, "the name Pelé ranked behind only Coca-Cola as the most popular brand in Europe." On the club level, he played nearly two decades for the Brazilian team Santos FC and finished his career with the New York Cosmos. Along the way he won three World Cups with Brazil and retired as the Brazilian national team’s all-time leading scorer.
Now 73 years old, Pelé has been off the pitch for decades. But with Brazil hosting the World Cup this summer as well as the Olympics in 2016, he’s been crisscrossing the world as a global ambassador. GQ caught up with him on the Hublot Loves Football tour’s stop in Miami, where the company introduced its official watch of the 2014 World Cup. Highlights from our chat with the star:
**_GQ: _****You’ve been feted by so many famous people. Is there anyone you’d still like to meet?
Pelé: **I have had the luck to meet lots of folks. I think one of the persons who I wished to meet the most was Gandhi. Unfortunately, I did not meet him. Also, I have not yet met President Obama, which I would like to do.
You were here in New York during the 1970s with the Cosmos. How have you seen the popularity of soccer in the United States change since then?
I think it was one of the best gifts that I had. Because I retired from Santos in ’73. I was already the champion of the world with the Brazilian National Team, and in ’73, I retired. I get a lot of invitations to play in Europe, to play in Mexico, but one of the best decisions was to come to the United States. I feel very proud now, because soccer is a reality in the United States. For the kids, from 8 years old to 18 years old, here is stronger than Brazil, than South America. In college is stronger than Brazil, than South America. And I am very proud about that.
What do you think of the United States’ chances in this summer’s World Cup?
Listen, the United States team is very good, they have a strong national team. It’s difficult to remember but the World Cup in Japan, the last two World Cups, the United States did very well, almost came to the semifinal. But the level of the soccer in the United States today is very good, no doubt.
One of my favorite movies ever is Victory. So be honest: How good a goalkeeper was Sylvester Stallone?
[Laughs] Listen, one day I had a meeting with [director] John Huston and [co-star] Michael Caine. We had a meeting to discuss the film. Because the escape was after scoring the final goal, Sylvester Stallone was supposed to score the goal, and I would be the goalkeeper. But when they decide the goal should be a bicycle kick, Sylvester Stallone could not make a bicycle kick [laughs]. So he went to goalkeeper, and I had to go to forward. It was amazing. He had never played football, so he kicked the ball like an American football.
I know you travel almost constantly—any tips for frequent travelers?
That’s a good question. Since I start to play in Santos, when I was 17 years old, Santos used to travel all over the world. We used to say, "OK, now we just need to play on the moon." [Laughs] Because we had played and traveled all over the world. I think that was where I learned. This is true: I have spent more time on flights than lots of pilots.
Didn’t you want to be a pilot when you were a boy?
Yes! That is true, that’s true. I was 14 years old, and at that time I used to see the planes, and I said, "I’m going to be a pilot, somehow."
Let’s talk about your collaboration with Hublot—why did it make sense for you?
When I played football, the ball was my goal, and then to be connected with my team. I needed to be connected with a good watch and a good team. That’s the reason we got together.
Are you good at being on time?
I am always on time—but I am usually on Brazilian time. [Laughs] But seriously, Brazilians are very famous about being on Brazilian time. I am a little different. I don’t want to be late—always, I try to be on time.