Today in History: Pele scores his 1000th GOOOOOOOAL!, 1969 (Brazil)

Pele was on 999 career goals. The result was subsidiary to an ebullient audience. They had turned up to witness a 29-year-old become the first player in history to reach the four-figure mark by his own personal count, and Pele had employed his age-defying pace to win the penalty with which came a crack at it.
“The majority of spectators in the Maracana wanted to see the goal, but the Vasco players did everything they could to prevent it,” Pele recalled. “They wound me up, kept telling me it wouldn’t happen that day. But it was destined to be. Something had to happen to give me the chance, and it did."

Pele jogged up, stuttered, and attempted to pass the ball, right-footed, into the bottom-left corner. Andrada flung himself south-west but, despite getting a hand to the ball, could not keep it out.
“For the first time in my career, I felt really nervous,” continued Pele. “Andrada was in great form. I’d never felt such pressure. I was shaking. But it was down to me and... Gooooooool. What a feeling. The stadium exploded.”
Pele raced into the back of the net to seize the ball, as innumerable reporters whizzed on to the pitch to immortalise his reaction.
“For the love of God, people,” exclaimed an emotional Pele. “Now that everyone is listening, help the children, help the helpless. That’s my only wish at this very special time for me.”


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