The shorts worn by Pele in his first match for the New York Cosmos v Dallas Tornados at Downing Stadium, Randall's Island, 15th June 1975, a pair of w
£1,500 - £2,500
The shorts worn by Pele in his first match for the New York Cosmos v Dallas Tornados at Downing Stadium, Randall's Island, 15th June 1975, a pair of white shorts with an embroidered green No.10 Pele scored on his Cosmos debut with a headed directed into the top right-hand corner of the net. He also had an assist for Israeli striker's Mordechai Spiegler goal in the 2-2 draw. 10 million people tuned into watch CBS's live coverage of Pele's debut match - a record audience for soccer in America. Pele had signed a $2.8 million three-year contract making him the highest paid athlete in the world. The 34-year-old had not played a competitive match for eight months when moving to the NASL. During his time in America he helped double the average attendance for the League, with the Cosmos crowd tripling in size. In his three year spell he scored 37 goals, won the NASL MVP in 1976 and crowned his career with a Soccer Bowl title in 1977. Provenance: The Charles Martinelli Collection. Former Equipment Manager of the New York Cosmos.