Pele to visit Southbank

Widely touted as the greatest football player of all time, Brazilian football legend Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), will appear at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s Plenary stage this month.

Pele returns to the country for the first time in 10 years and will be a special guest at a tribute luncheon for retiring SBS broadcaster Les Murray on Wednesday, November 19.

An evening show entitled, Pele. My Life. My Story, will follow on from the luncheon, when the three-time World Cup champion will share his footballing and life journey with the audience.

Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre CEO Peter King said the centre was extremely proud to be hosting such a high-profile sporting legend.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming one of the biggest names in sporting history to our Plenary Stage for his first Australian appearance in quite some time,” he said.

Having started his career at the age of 15 at Brazilian club Santos, Pele was just 16 when he first represented his country in the national team.

In a career spanning 1363 games, Pele scored a remarkable 1281 goals – a world record, which still stands today.

Since retiring in 1977, he has been named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and Footballer of the Century by FIFA and continues to work on humanitarian and human rights projects in his native Brazil.

For more information on Pele’s trip to Southbank visit www.pelelive.com.au