Pele tribute: York super fan recalls meeting late football legend

The Brazilian footballer and three-times World Cup winner died on Thursday (December 29) in a Sao Paulo hospital, age 82.

A huge fan of the footballing genius, Philip Cooper, 64, from York, had written to the star's Santos football club in Brazil when he was 11, and Pele sent him a photograph of himself back wearing the Santos kit.

Philip Cooper, Pele, and Annette Cooper in 2008 (Image: Philip Cooper)

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Then decades later, Philip was lucky enough to meet Pele in 2008 on his 50th birthday as a surprise arranged by his wife Annette.

She had contacted Pele's London agent and they took the train to the capital to meet him at the Park Towers hotel suite.

The signed football kit Pele gave Philip (Image: Philip Cooper)

Philip said: "I couldn't believe it! The agent had told us the room number and I could hear him talking on the other side of the door!

"He's a hero I've always looked up to, it was a dream come true, and I felt 11 years old again.

"He was a true gentleman and he made you feel at ease with him, you didn't feel like you were talking to a famous footballer.

Philip's collection (Image: Philip Cooper)

"He was very humble, he wore a black T-shirt, some jogging bottoms, flip flops, and the crucifix cross he always wore. I was actually taller than him - he was only 5ft 6in.

"We chatted for a couple of hours and he asked a lot about York and said he wanted to visit, and gave us a signed shirt and boots.

"He knew I was the fan but he treated me and Annette the same and asked his agent to take loads of photos for us."

Philip's collection (Image: Philip Cooper)

Philip has collected Pele memorabilia since his childhood and over the years his collection has grown to fill a whole room – including press cuttings, programmes from the World Cup games, posters, press photos, and flags he’d sold at a charity auction.

When he was 12, Philip did a potato picking job for two weeks to save up for some Pele football boots, and his boss paid him the adult's rate so he could earn the money sooner.

Philip said: "It was a pleasure to meet Pele. The way he played football was outstanding, there has been nobody in his class.

"Watching him play was like a glowing light, yet he never forgot where he came from."

The Brazilian legend’s humility and talent won him admiration across the globe, as a footballer, and then as a United Nations ambassador.

Pele, then Brazil’s minister for sport, was made a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) by the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 1997.