November 10, 1968 made history for hosting a meeting of the royal family in Rio de Janeiro. The Queen of the British Crown, Elizabeth II, went to the Maracanã Stadium to accompany the King of Football, Pele, to showcase football in a friendly match between the selection of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which the Sao Paulo team won before. 3-2 with a goal from the Brazilian crack.
Pele received the game’s charitable trophy from the Queen, who needed no introduction when he met the King of Football, describing him as “incomparable”:
“Your Majesty, this is the world famous player Pele,” said the master of the ceremony. “Oh, I know! I already know him by name. I’m so glad to say hello,” said Elizabeth.
The two met again twenty-nine years later, when in 1997, Elizabeth II decorated Pele as a Knight of the British Empire. The honor was the first given to a footballer from outside the United Kingdom.
In June 2022, Pele took to social media to congratulate the Queen on receiving her Platinum Jubilee Award and recall the famous meeting at the Maracanã.
“I have been a huge fan of Queen Elizabeth II since I first saw her in person, in 1968, when she came to Brazil to witness our love of football and witness the packed magic of the Maracana.”
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