Pelé The Opus Announcement

Release date: December 2022 Opus unveil PELÉ – THE OPUS. A gigantic, limited edition book that celebrates the most illustrious career of the most famous and greatest icon in the world of football.

LONDON, 2nd December 2022 – OPUS today announce the publication of the PELÉ – THE OPUS during the 22nd FIFA World Cup being held in Qatar. The Opus is crafted into ten chapters that takes the audience on a journey from Pelé’s early years through to all four World Cup finals in which he played. In 1958, Pelé a 17 year old boy-genius, was unveiled to the world in Sweden at the sixth FIFA World Cup. He was the youngest player to ever be named in a World Cup squad and he went on to re-write the record books and over his career. He would go on to become a house-hold name and one of the most recognisable humans on the planet. Pelé Facts:

• Pelé became the youngest World Cup winner aged 17 in 1958 where he scored 6 goals in the tournament.

 

• He is the youngest player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, which came in an entertaining semi- final against a great French team. Brazil triumphed 5-2 on the day with Pelé scoring a 23-minute hat-trick

 

• He is the youngest player to ever score in a World Cup final.

 

• He is Brazil’s record goal scorer, scoring 95 goals in 114 games.

 

• He has the most World Cup assists. In total, Pelé made 10 assists at the World Cup finals, 7 of which came at the 1970 World Cup. Both are records.

 

• When Pelé made his World Cup debut aged 17 in Sweden, Brazil had never won football’s most coveted trophy. However, when he retired from international football, 12 years later, Brazil was the most successful nation in the history of the competition. Pelé was a three-time World Cup winner –1958, 1962 and 1970. In both 1958 and 1970 Pelé was arguably the player of the tournament. And until today no other player has won the World Cup three times as a player.

 

• In 2016, to celebrate the Ballon d’Or turning 60, France Football decided to go back and look at who would have won the most prestigious individual award in football had it been a global award since its inception. It was agreed that Pelé would have won the award seven times in his career making him the most decorated individual football player of all time.

 

• His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record.

An in-depth interview specially conducted for the Opus is a special feature of this Opus and also includes a Foreword personally written by fellow World Cup winner, Sir Geoff Hurst. There is commentary throughout from many other footballing icons including Johan Cruyff, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Zico and Franz Beckenbauer. Opus is thrilled to partner with Pelé to tell his story on an epic scale. The Limited Marquee Edition numbers 1,279 copies – a copy for each goal Pelé scored in his career. It measures 62cm x 45cm. The 264 pages have been printed in ultra-high definition on luxury heavyweight 200gsm silk paper and then hand-bound. It is housed in a hand-made presentation case and weighs 16kg. Each copy features a specially designed signature page that has been personally hand-signed by Pelé.

Karl Fowler, OPUS CEO said “We are delighted to tell the story of Pelé in true Opus style. The inspiration that Pelé has given fans and fellow professionals over the decades is immeasurable and we hope the Opus inspires children and fans all over the world to believe in themselves and chase their dreams.”

Pelé, said “I am truly honored to have my career celebrated in an official OPUS. I am so happy to be part of the OPUS family and hope you enjoy my story as much as I loved helping put this special limited edition together.”

Enquiries at www.thisisopus.com/pele