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Pele once got paid $120,000 to tie his shoelaces in the 1970 World Cup match against Peru


Brazilian football icon Pele, who passed away on Thursday, was considered to be one of the biggest names to lace up his boots. Incidentally, on one occasion during the 1970 World Cup, he was paid $120,000 by boot manufacturers Puma to do just that.

The remarkable story was shared by American entrepreneur Joe Pompliano on Twitter which details the moments leading down to this consisting of a family feud, a Pele pact and sibling rivalry between the founders of Adidas and Puma.

The story started in 1924 when German brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler started a shoe company from their mom’s laundry room and called it the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory. By the 1940s, the brothers had decided to go their separate ways after their relationship deteriorated, with Adolf creating Adidas, while Rudolf set up Puma.

This is where the soaring popularity of Pele would enter the equation. Athlete endorsements were becoming popular, so Adidas & Puma created the “Pele Pact.” The idea of the pact was simple: a bidding war would bankrupt both companies, so they agreed neither company would sign Pele.

But in 1970, Puma would go on to break the pact as they approached Pele with a $120,000 offer and requested the legend to walk to midfield seconds before kick-off of the Brazil vs Peru World Cup quarterfinal match and ask the official for time to tie his shoes.

Puma even paid the cameraman in order to ensure that they can get a perfect shot of Pele advertising their boots. Adidas was furious while Puma went on to register record annual sales.

Brazil won the match against Peru 4-2 and ultimately went all the way as Pele lifted his record 3rd World Cup.





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