Three Times a King: Pelé, 1970

The 1970 World Cup final was Pelé's last World Cup match, and he opened the scoring with a header that seemed to hang in the Mexico City air. Brazil beat Italy 4-1, Pelé became the only player to win three World Cups, and Brazil kept the Jules Rimet Trophy for good.

The header

Eighteen minutes into the final, Rivellino lofted a cross into the Italian box. Pelé rose above his marker, Tarcisio Burgnich, and headed Brazil in front. Jairzinho lifted him towards the sky, which is the moment on our poster. Burgnich said afterwards that he had told himself Pelé was made of skin and bones like everyone else, and that he had been wrong.

The greatest team goal

Roberto Boninsegna equalised for Italy before half-time, but Brazil took the second half apart. Gérson and Jairzinho scored, and with four minutes left Carlos Alberto finished a move that passed through almost the whole team, with Pelé rolling the final pass into his path without looking. It is still shown as the perfect team goal.

Three World Cups

Pelé won the World Cup in 1958 at 17, in 1962 and in 1970. No other player has won three. Because Brazil were the first nation to win the tournament three times, they were allowed to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently.

Frame the moment

Our framed poster Three Times a King tells the story in posterised artwork with the fixture, venue and date. Choose A4 or A3, framed and ready to hang, with free shipping across India. See more in our World Cup posters.

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