When Pele sprinkled his magic on Dubai
dubai — It was surely one for the album and there couldn’t have been a better image for posterity. Pele, the greatest footballer that a human being has ever seen, was right at the foot of the iconic and towering Burj Khalifa.
And it wouldn’t be far off the mark to say that the legend, winner of three World Cups with his beloved Brazil, towered or perhaps even dwarfed the structural masterpiece.
Pele was a masterpiece himself, a genius, who gave football a new meaning and for the sport to be known as ‘the beautiful game.’
He sprinkled magic on the pitch as he weaved through defenders and won many a match, and many a heart, the world over. And the
gold everyone dust in still awe. continues to leave
Pele, now 77, was in Dubai on Sunday, his sixth visit to the country, and his fifth in Dubai. And the legend left each and every one assembled at the Dubai Opera Garden in Downtown Dubai, speechless. Everyone wanted to have a piece of him, including a stellar star cast that had assembled to play the Hublot Match of Friendship.
The match was the second instalment of the Hublot Match of Friendship which saw some top stars of yesteryears like Marcel Desailly, Christian Karembeu, Marco Materazzi, Gianluca Zambrotta, Robbie Keane, Serginho, Dida, Marco Amelia, Michel Salgado and the UAE’s very own Majed Hassan play the encounter on a specially-built pitch at the foot of the Burj Khalifa.
The first match of the Hublot Match of Friendship was played in Switzerland in March which saw a Jose Mourinho team take on a Diego Maradona side. That match had finished on level terms 11-11.
On Sunday, it was a Pele team against a Marcelo Lippi side and it was played in competitive spirit. The match was overseen by now-retired UAE referee Ali Hamad Al Badwawi.
Desailly, Keane, Serginho, Dida and Majed Hassan were Pele’s team, while Materazzi, Salgado, Karembeu, Amelia and Zambrotta represented the former Italy and Juventus coach Lippi’s side. And at the end of 30 minutes, it ended all square 1111. But, pertinently, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the assembled few to witness some of the greatest football stars in history.
The event was held to mark 60 days until the FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia and was held in association with the Dubai-based Ahmed Seddiqi and Sons.
After the players were introduced, the biggest roar went up for none other than Pele, who arrived in a wheelchair. That infectious smile was still there and he left his magic again despite not getting his foot on the ball.
james@khaeejtimes.com