His birthday is still be some days away but football legend Pele had the celebrations here on Monday, as Academy Award winning music composer A.R. Rahaman sang the ‘Happy birthday’ jingle, and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly clapped in reverence.
Felicitated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Pele cut the birthday cake — in the shape of the Jules Rimet trophy that Brazil permanently won by triumphing in the 1970 World Cup – during a glittering ceremony at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, with thousands of fans of all ages chanting the legend’s name.
“We are indeed very happy to have Pele with us on the eve of Durga Puja, our biggest festival,” said the Chief Minister.
“Football pulsates us, thrills us. And Pele is an incredible icon in the world of football and sports. We are very very proud of him,” she wrote on her social media pages.