Following Pelé’s revelation that he could have joined Milan, Massimo Moratti says Inter were close too.
The Brazilian is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, and revealed today that he could have played for the Rossoneri.
Now former Beneamata President Massimo Moratti has revealed that his father cancelled a deal for the forward due to protests from Santos fans.
Following Pelé’s revelation that he could have joined Milan, Massimo Moratti says Inter were close too.
The Brazilian is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, and revealed today that he could have played for the Rossoneri.
Now former Beneamata President Massimo Moratti has revealed that his father cancelled a deal for the forward due to protests from Santos fans.
“Oh yes, reluctantly!” Moratti recalled in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Dad had to adhere to the request though. On the other end of the phone was a man worried for his own safety. When I read about Milan in Gazzetta I was surprised.
“It could be, but Inter were the first European club to have the great champion in their hands.
“I remember we had taken Pelé for the 1958-59 season, he was the lad who had surprised the world in Sweden, and dad took him right away, getting ahead of the other interested clubs.
“The contract was signed, it just had to be deposited, but as soon as the thing came out in Brazil people revolted against the [Santos] directors.
“They formed a mob that went to attack the Santos President. At that point it was no longer about football, it was a matter of conscience, so dad tore up the contract.
“When he was a bit older we went back, but whether because of closed borders or some other reason, it never materialised.”
Officially, Pelé scored 757 goals in 812 career games for Santos, Brazil and the New York Cosmos.
However, if friendlies are taken into account, he managed 1283 goals in 1366 matches.