6 The World of Pelé

CHAPTER 6 The World of Pelé After the injured muscle in his leg finally healed, Pelé returned to his high-scoring ways. Santos won several championships, including one among all the clubs in South America. In 1965, Pelé finally asked Rosemeri's parents if he could marry her. Though he was used to playing in front of thousands of people, Pelé was

nervous. He went fishing for a day with Rosemeri's father. Pelé asked if he could marry Rosemeri. The two men continued to fish but her father never gave Pelé an answer. After a long day on the water, he told Pelé, "We'll see." Finally, after they had met with Rosemeri's mother, the marriage was approved! Pelé and Rosemeri were married by a priest at his parents' house in 1966. Because he was so famous, Pelé's fans had filled the streets outside, hoping to see the couple. They could not leave the house for hours!

For their honeymoon, Pelé and Rosemeri toured Europe. They went to France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy. In Rome, he got the chance to introduce Rosemeri to Pope Paul VI. When they returned to Brazil, it was time to get ready for the 1966 World Cup. And the other teams heading to England for the matches were ready to take on Brazil. In games against both Bulgaria and Portugal, the opposing players

knew that they had to defeat Pelé to win their matches against the Brazilian team. And so, again and again, players fouled Pelé, kicking him in the legs. The other athletes' shameful behavior injured Pelé's body and also his pride. He no longer wanted to play for his national team. Portugal won their third game, and Brazil was out of the World Cup! In 1967, Pelé had a very busy year! After Rosemeri gave birth to Kelly Cristina, their first child, Pelé visited the United States with Santos. His appearances there set records for the biggest crowds up to that time in US soccer history. Even in a nation where soccer was not that popular, Pelé was well-known. Later in the year, he visited Africa, including stops in Senegal, Nigeria, and Congo. He was mobbed everywhere he went. "To these people, who had little

possibility of ever escaping the crushing poverty in which they found themselves, I somehow represented a ray of hope," he wrote later.

In 1969, the Santos team was on another tour of Africa. The people of the Nigerian state of Biafra were at war with each other. However, people on both sides of the fighting wanted to see Pelé play. For two days the fighting stopped. Pelé and Santos played, and the war resumed once they had left Nigeria. This single event