The match ball from the Franz Beckenbauer Day Cosmos v. Seattle Sounders played at the Giants Stadium, New Jersey, 21st May 1978, THE BALL SIGNED BY B
£500 - £700
The match ball from the Franz Beckenbauer Day Cosmos v. Seattle Sounders played at the Giants Stadium, New Jersey, 21st May 1978, THE BALL SIGNED BY BECKENBAUER and with a personalised dedication to Charles Martinelli, a French manufactured Adidas Official NASL soccer ball bearing the facsimile signature of Commissioner Phil Woosnam, the pentagon panels with white outlined red stars on a blue background, in addition to the signatures the ball bears the match identification in the hand of the Cosmos equipment manager Charles Martinelli, housed in a Lucite display box On May 21, 1978 the Cosmos paid tribute to Franz Beckenbauer, the legendary German player who had been with the team just shy of one year. On ''Franz Beckenbauer Day'' at the Giants Stadium, Cosmos beat the Seattle Sounders 5-1 before a crowd of 71,219. The scorers were Giorgio Chinaglia (3), Vladislay Bogicevic & Dennis Tueart. The German Fischer Choir performed and several dignitaries attended. But perhaps the highlight was when Pele came out, spoke a few words about his friend and former teammate and warmly embraced ''The Kaiser.'' Provenance: The Charles Martinelli Collection. Former Equipment Manager of the New York Cosmos.