Pelé gifts Paul McCartney with Brazil football shirt: “Keep the ball rolling”

A shirt signed by late football legend Pelé has been gifted to Paul McCartney.

It comes as a Brazilian football shirt was recently rediscovered, which Pelé signed back in 2019, intended as a gift for the iconic singer-songwriter.

He was meant to present McCartney with the gift that same year, but the chance for them to meet never materialised. After that, Pelé’s long-term manager, Pepito Fornos, and the footballer’s sister, Luiza Nascimento, sought a way to get the shirt to its rightful owner.

Now, ahead of his second stadium show in São Paulo, held as part of his 2024 ‘Got Back’ world tour, McCartney has been presented with the shirt – five years after it was first signed.

In a photograph, the Beatles icon can be seen holding up the shirt, which reads: “Paul, keep the ball rolling. I love you. Pelé.”

It was given to him at the Allianz Parque stadium ahead of his show last night (October 16). The venue is also the home of Palmeiras Football Club. In a statement, Macca said he would “treasure” the gift the late footballer left for him.

The gig that night marked his 39th show in Brazil, and he holds the record for the most tickets sold by an international artist in the country. This milestone is largely aided by his show at Rio’s Maracanã stadium in 1990 – which saw 184,000 people in attendance, broke box office records and set a world record for the largest concert audience.

Pelé is considered one of the greatest footballers the game has ever seen and was the only player to have won the World Cup three times.

While he had a long career, one of his biggest achievements came when he was just 17, and he played for Brazil in the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden. He scored six goals in their last three games, including the winner in the quarter-final, a hat-trick in the semi-final and two in the final (via The Guardian).

He died in 2022 after a battle with cancer. He was aged 82.

McCartney’s ‘Got Back’ tour is set to continue across South America, the UK and Europe over the coming weeks. He performed The Beatles track ‘Now And Then’ live for the first time at his stop in Uruguay earlier this month. Last week, he helped a couple get engaged on stage during a soundcheck in Santiago, Chile.

The former Beatles star is due to arrive home on UK shores this December, which will include two shows in Manchester and two in London. You can purchase any remaining tickets here and find a list of UK and European shows below.

Paul McCartney’s 2024 UK and European tour dates are:

DECEMBER
04 – La Defense Arena, Paris, France
05 – La Defense Arena, Paris, France
09 – Wizink Centre, Madrid, Spain
⁠10 – Wizink Centre, Madrid, Spain
14 – Co-op Live, Manchester, UK
15 – Co-op Live, Manchester, UK
⁠18 – The O2, London, UK
19 – The O2, London, UK

In other Beatles news, a new documentary titled 1964 is coming to Apple TV+ this year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the group conquering the United States.