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Brazilian Soccer Icon Pelé Once Turned an Iconic MLB Ballpark Into His Personal Playground in Front of 18,000 People

Published 12/30/2022, 6:30 AM EST

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In tragic news, Brazilian soccer legend Pele recently passed away amid serious health concerns. He was widely considered one of the greatest soccer players to ever play the sport. Furthermore, he contributed heavily to the game with his fancy footwork and great goals. But due to the Brazilian legend’s unfortunate passing, a lot of people have shared different events and stories from his career.

One of those events was a game where the legendary Brazilian suited up to play some games in America. What’s more, is that he played at one of baseball’s greatest and most storied stadiums. 

Pele once played at the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park

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Yes! You read that right, the 3-time FIFA World Cup winner once played a game at Fenway Park. According to a Tweet from MLB insider Pete Abraham, Pele had played at the iconic Boston stadium in 1968 while he was with Santos FC. At the time, Santos FC was playing against the Boston Beacons of the North American Soccer League. Pele and his team ended up thrashing the Beacons 7-1.

According to Abraham “Pelé played at Fenway Park on July 8, 1968. The Globe had a promising young writer named Peter Gammons cover the game.”  The game took place a day before the 1968 MLB All-Star Game and was a huge attraction.

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Pele was still in the prime of his career at 27 years old and drew massive crowds to see the game. Many credit him for being one of the driving forces behind the growing American interest in soccer. 

The Brazilian legend played in America for the New York Cosmos

Soccer was not always taken seriously in the USA, but when Pele signed to play three seasons with the New York Cosmos everything changed. The Brazilian legend signed with the Cosmos in 1975. He was 34 years old at the time and past his prime. But people across the country wanted to see him play. He was one of the biggest players at the time and most people in America were well aware of him.

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This led to a number of other legendary players moving to the country in later years. Furthermore, Pele helped the sport grow in the country and gave it a future there. What do you think about the fact that the soccer legend Pele once played at Fenway Park? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Pranay Mukherjee

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Pranay Mukherjee is an MLB author at EssentiallySports. On completing his Bachelor’s in Mass Communication, he followed his passion for writing and started working as a content writer. His passion for sports has led him to sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar