PELÉ (1940–2022)

An exceptional piece of memorabilia from Pelé’s personal collection — a football statuette presented to the future “King of Football” by Brazilian club Esporte Clube Noroeste of Bauru, São Paulo, on 13 July 1958. Julien’s Auctions specifically documents the trophy as having been presented to Pelé.

The engraved plaque on its base reads “Homenagem do E.C. Noroeste Amador ao Pelé 13-7-58,” translated as “Tribute from E.C. Noroeste Amateur to Pelé, 13 July 1958.” The statuette depicts a footballer in motion beside a ball and measures approximately 20 × 11.4 × 10.2 cm.

The date gives the trophy exceptional historical context: it was presented to Pelé only 15 days after the 1958 World Cup Final, in which the 17-year-old Brazilian became a world champion. The object therefore belongs to the extraordinary period in which the teenage footballer was emerging as an international sporting icon.

Its importance is further strengthened by its documented provenance. In 2016, the trophy appeared as Lot 1585 in Julien’s Auctions’ landmark London sale “Pelé: The Collection,” devoted to memorabilia from Pelé’s personal collection.

In 2026, the statuette was again offered by Julien’s Auctions in “Sports Legends: The Pitch to the Court” as Lot 36, “Pelé | 1958 E.C. Noroeste Tribute Trophy.” The accompanying auction documentation provides an additional record of its attribution and provenance.

Rather than a later souvenir or modern reproduction, this is a personal 1958 tribute trophy presented to Pelé, with traceable auction provenance — a tangible artefact connected directly to one of the defining figures in the history of world football.